


Poison & Wine

by oakenlass



Series: The Andrea Gilbert Diaries [1]
Category: The Originals (TV), The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Drama, F/F, F/M, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Love Triangle, Multi, Murder, OC is bisexual, OC/OC - Freeform, Other, Romance, Supernatural Elements, Torture, cursing, klaus is a dick, some OC/OC
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-24
Updated: 2018-04-19
Packaged: 2019-03-23 12:45:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 25
Words: 207,930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13788054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oakenlass/pseuds/oakenlass
Summary: Andy is Elena Gilbert's fraternal twin. When the Originals come to town, her life becomes complicated after learning she too is a doppelganger like her sister. However, it becomes clear she isn't meant for the same purpose as her sister as her connection to the Mikaelsons is a lot deeper anticipated. Picks up during season two of the Vampire Diaries. Klaus/OC/Elijah. This is a rewrite of my original story.





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> This story can also be found on fanfiction.net.

**_Poison & Wine - Chapter I_ **

**_~ * • ° • ° • * ~_ **

As Andy walked away from the Lockwood mansion, she couldn’t help but grow angrier with every step she took. This was supposed to be a fun night, but the powers that be decided it wasn’t going to. Damon had asked her to be his date to the annual Lockwood Masquerade Ball. Considering their friendship had been her enduring the pains of unrequited love like a fool, him asking her somewhere other than the Grill had been a victory in her book. Yet, the night had taken a sour turn after he abandoned her to go spend time with Elena as he always did.

Andy couldn’t figure out why she kept putting herself back into these situations with him. Ever since he had moved to town with his brother Stefan, Elena’s boyfriend, Damon had taken the throne as the new “bad boy” of the town. She had heard about him through some gossip despite not meeting him until she returned to town. Now that she knew him, she was beginning to wish she didn't. Still, even when everyone else seemed to hate him, she didn’t. They seemed to understand one another, and many of her night shifts at the Grill had been spent goofing off with him at the bar. She appreciated his humor in serious situations and he appreciated her friendship.

Andy thought to herself, _I wish that night at the Grill had gone a lot differently._

_She had finished cleaning up the last table at the Grill. She glanced over and saw the dark-haired man with blue eyes still sitting at the bar. He held a glass in his hands as he gazed into space. Sighing, she finally walked over to him and gestured to the clock. “Don’t know if the bartender has informed you, but we close in five minutes.”_

_As he turned his head, vague recognition flashed across his expression for a split second. He had composed himself by the time he finished off his drink, taking the opportunity to direct a charming smile towards her._

_"Does that mean you'll be free then?" The man asked, his icy blue eyes peering into Andy’s brown eyes. She couldn’t help but admire his striking good looks as she began to wonder who this man was. She had seen him around town a couple times but this was the first real conversation that they had. She had thought many times how he could steal a heart with those eyes, but his smile enhanced his handsome features even more so. Still, she kept her composure as she raised her eyebrow at him._

_“Unfortunately I’m subject to the constraints of history work, which is why I’d prefer to be able to clean this place up as quick as possible and get home before the witching hour,” Andy replied dryly, walking around him as she carried the dishes back to the kitchen._

_As she did, he called out to her. “Does anyone over eighteen actually work here or are you all high schoolers?”_

_“The bartender just turned forty. Maybe she’s free after work,” Andy called back over her shoulder as she disappeared into the kitchen. When she came back out of the room, she paused when she saw the guy was still at the bar. Alice, the bartender, was still nowhere in sight._

_Why do I always get stuck with people who never help clean up? Andy thought, thinking more unpleasant things about the elusive bartender. Sighing, Andy walked over to stand on the other side of the bar as he watched her with a smile._

_“Mind pouring me one last drink before I leave for the night?” He asked._

_“Not allowed to handle alcohol,” Andy explained as she leaned back against the wall and crossed her arms over her chest. “If Alice gets back within the next five minutes, she can pour you one.”_

_“Ah, right. High schooler.” The man nodded. He stared down at Andy for a moment before speaking again. “So you a new worker around here? I haven’t seen you around before.”_

_“I could say the same for you,” She said. “I was born and raised in this town, and don't recognize you. But I kind of am new I guess. I went away for a while.”_

_"Let me guess. Juvi?"_

_"Yeah. Was serving time for punching a patron," Andy replied with a roll of her eyes._

_"Why? They wouldn't get out of your hair either?"_

_"Something like that."_

_“I suppose I should introduce myself then. I would hate for you not to know who you potentially might hit. Damon Salvatore.”_

_Andy looked at him in shock. “Wait, you're Damon? Stefan’s brother?”_

_“Stefan’s popular around school, huh?” He rolled his own eyes at his words._

_“I couldn’t say. But he’s dating my sister,” She admitted with a shrug. “I’m Elena’s twin, Andy. I’m kind of the town black sheep, so you either know about me or you’ve never heard my name uttered. Well, depending on how new to town you are. No clue what Elena might have mentioned to you.”_

_“All good things... and from what I heard, I guess we have some things in common then,” Damon replied, giving her a smile. “We outcasts gotta stick together, right?”_

_Andy felt a small smile tugging at her lips, but the two were interrupted when Alice returned from the back. She began apologizing for walking away to take a phone. Damon stood and grabbed his coat, looking at Andy with that smirk of his as he readied himself to leave._

_“It was nice meeting you, Andy.”_

It had been a little over a month into the friendship that Andy realized that her feelings went a little deeper for him after he did her the kind gesture of helping her when her car had broken down on the side of the road and her phone was dead. She wasn’t sure if she had begun to like him because he was obviously attractive or because she loved his general “give no fucks” attitude, but from the beginning, she had known she had always known she liked him a lot more than he liked her. They had slowly begun flirting with one another more often as the time passed, but that was how Damon was. Anything that moved he was willing to flirt with. Though Andy knew that there was one person she had seen him look at differently than the others, but that person wasn’t her.

The way Andy had seen him interact with Elena early on hadn’t tipped her off. She had thought it was just Damon flirting because it was ingrained in his very being. However, after the Miss Mystic Falls pageant when she had come home to find them kissing on the porch, she began noticing the signs of affection on Damon’s part. She had not confronted them about the kiss—she hadn’t even mentioned seeing it happen to anyone—but she couldn’t get it out of her mind every time she saw them interacting. They had both looked very into the kiss, and Damon wasn’t her boyfriend so she felt as if it wasn’t her place to be angry at him for kissing someone else. On the other hand, she was also friends with his brother and knew if Stefan found out he would be crushed that his girlfriend had, at the very least, kissed his brother.

For months on end, Andy had been going back and forth about telling Damon that she felt something more for him than friendship despite seeing evidence to support he didn’t feel the same about her. It had been quite a while since she had ended things with Tyler for good, so she personally had no one to worry about hurting by telling Damon about her feelings. She felt like she needed to tell someone, and if she told anyone else, they’d tell her she was stupid for liking Damon and tell her to stay away from him.

The reason Andy began believing her affections were one-sided was because, like mentioned before, Damon Salvatore is the biggest flirt there was. His flirtations could be meaningless, but Andy had some hope that maybe he didn’t feel for Elena as deeply as she had started convincing herself he did. A part of her hoped that yet another person hadn’t been yanked under her sister’s spell, but even if he had, could she blame him? Elena had always been beautiful, smart, and kind, it was hard not to love her. If Damon didn’t want Andy in the same way she did him, that was fine with her, it wasn’t as if she hadn’t had crushes on people before. However, her problem mainly was with him sabotaging a relationship of Elena’s—and his brother’s—that they both seemed genuinely happy in. Unfortunately, Andy found out the hard way that her hopes for something with Damon were misplaced.

_“When are you going to kiss me? Or do I have to steal one from you?” Andy questioned Damon with a small smile as the two twirled around the dance floor. He had abandoned her the entire night and disappeared, leaving her all by herself. That was until he found her lurking around the sparsely populated dance floor and asked for a dance. To her surprise, he had apologized for flaking on her. However, this wasn’t the first time he had flaked on her, and Andy was beginning to tire of being yanked around by him. She decided to prompt something because she didn’t think he would, and a part of her wanted him to sabotage this so she could call him a son of a bitch and move on._

_He sighed, brushing her curls back. His blue eyes roamed around Andy’s face, a guilty look in his eyes. “You do not know how badly I want to, Andy.” He murmured to her._

_“What's stopping you then?” She asked in curiosity, beginning to feel the sting of rejection coming on. Was he going to come up with some lame excuse to explain? With working at the Grill, she had seen him seduce countless women and not hesitate to take them home, but with her, he would rather make up excuses? It didn’t make sense to her. He didn’t seem too concerned with morals, but she was beginning to think it was because he had feelings for her sister and thought that even a kiss would mean something more than he could offer._

_“There's things you don't know._ Can't _know.” He admitted reluctantly, meeting her gaze again._

_“Then tell me those things, Damon,” She prompted softly, not wanting to seem too pushy. They had stopped dancing and she put a hand on his arm in support. “Why can’t I know them? Don’t I at least deserve to know so I can understand?”_

_“It's not that simple,” He answered, looking away from her again._

_“Just say what you mean, Damon,” At this point, Andy’s voice had gotten a bit higher and her frustration grew. Of the small number of people around, some of their gazes were watching the two. “Stop avoiding whatever you have and say it. I’m tired of all this skirting around stuff whenever I’m around all of you! First, it was you, Stefan, and Elena, but now it’s turned into Jeremy, Alaric, Bonnie, and Caroline. I’m tired of feeling like you all are hiding something from me.” She folded her arms over her chest, looking at him with a frown. “If you don’t… If you don’t feel the same about me it’d be easier just to tell me straight up rather than just making up stupid excuses._

_He shook his head. “Fine. Do you want the truth? You want a_ relationship _, Andy. I’m not that kind of guy. And I’m not interested in a seventeen-year-old and not interested in becoming your new Tyler.”_

_Andy scoffed and began speaking angrily. “You think I don’t know about your dalliance with Caroline? Or about your thing for my sister?” She demanded, and the slightest hint of hurt was in her tone. He looked at her in surprise while she continued speaking. “I just wanted you to be honest with me, Damon. I saw you and Elena kissing after the pageant, okay? You could’ve said you want my sister instead.”_

_Damon took a step toward her but she took a step back. “No, you don’t know what you saw—”_

_“She’s with your brother, Damon. You need to learn some boundaries,” Andy interrupted and continued before he could respond. “And for future reference, if you can’t learn to not mess with Stefan’s and my sister’s relationship again, I will kick your ass. You’re pathetic, Damon Salvatore.” With that, she had bumped her shoulder into his as she stormed past him._

That night had supposed to be a fun night for Andy. She had felt good in herself that night in her knee-length flowy dress that went from a light to dark green color. Her curly hair had stayed perfect and didn’t frizz up for once thanks to Elena’s help and her silver mask had completed the outfit. The worst part was she knew she had gotten all dressed up for Damon. All because he finally asked her to do something with him that she hoped could turn into a romantic night. She can’t believe how desperate she had become if she did do all this for him despite knowing how he felt about her sister.

Andy stopped on the front porch of the Lockwood Mansion and gazed out at the stars in the sky, steeling herself. She had put herself out there and that was all she could ask for. If Damon didn’t want her then fine, that was his loss. Let him pine after her sister for all she cared. If he didn’t cause any pain to Stefan or Elena, then he could mope about her all he wanted.

Staring out at the night as the cool breeze hit her face, Andy looked over all the cars packed up tightly in the driveway. Damon had driven her here tonight, and she had no way of getting home since she hadn’t seen Jeremy or anyone else she knew in quite a while. She had made her dramatic exit and somehow going back and asking Damon for a ride home wasn’t something her pride could handle after the dents he had made in it.

Andy had to admit that she was stupid when it came to relationships, something she had hoped she would get better at in time. She felt she wasn’t always in control of who she liked romantically, but she knew not everyone could be fortunate to be in control of matters of the heart. Looking back on the one major relationship she had—which she didn’t include Damon considering the most they had ever done was flirting—which had been with Tyler Lockwood, and even that was not the healthiest relationships. They spent more time arguing than enjoying each other’s companies and had mostly begun dating after Tyler’s father suggested they do.

It was official, Andy decided, she had the worst luck with romance. She hadn’t really dated anyone other than Tyler, other than maybe a casual fling with a couple of other people during her late middle school and freshman year of high school. Despite their relationship beginning because of his father, her only serious boyfriend had been Tyler. However, he had cheated on her a few times and Andy had stayed with him despite it, mainly because Tyler and she had been close friends when they were younger and she knew his father was abusive. She had wanted to be there for him because she knew he was too strong to admit to anyone that his father was hurting him. Though, the relationship had come to an end the night Andy’s life had taken a nosedive.

Now that it had been nearly half a year, Tyler and Andy had been developing a relatively steady friendship, though it was nowhere near to when they were children. It had always been Matt, Tyler, and her who were friends. While she was friends with Bonnie and Caroline, it was often strained by Caroline’s and Andy’s tendencies to clash with one another. Andy did like Bonnie a lot, but she had always been closer to Elena. However, much to Andy’s surprise, she had become closer friends with them—yes, including Caroline—since her return to Mystic Falls, which was something she would never have guessed.

As Andy stood out in the cold air on the porch, she decided there was only one good option without bothering Tyler to give her a ride since she knew Tyler would be busy helping his mom. She pulled out her phone and called her younger brother Jeremy since she didn’t have much of a choice. Elena had acted indifferent towards Andy at the party and had mostly ignored her after questioning her choice of a date and dress. She wasn’t sure what was going on with her considering she had been helping her get ready hours earlier. Though Andy also knew that Elena and Stefan had been back and forth with one another in their relationship recently. Andy hadn’t even told Stefan what she had seen occur with Damon and Elena because she felt like it wasn’t any of her business and maybe Elena had told Stefan and it was the reason they were on the rocks. Maybe Damon would get his wish after all, though something told her Elena wouldn’t give him the time of day within this century.

After a few moments of hearing the phone ring, Andy was met with Jeremy’s voice. With a sigh, she began walking through the cars as she left a voicemail.

“Jer,” She tried steadying her voice but it was no use. Unfortunately, the combination of cold air and the hard rejection from Damon caused her to begin shivering as she inwardly cursed herself for not bringing a coat with me. “You left the party and I need a ride home. I’m gonna try to call Tyler and Matt, but everyone else must have left too. When you get this, please call me to see if I still need a ride.”

Hanging up, Andy ran a hand through her hair in frustration. She was doing her best to think about other things other than the blue-eyed Salvatore who was more trouble than he was worth. She just wanted to get home, curl up with Jenna and some popcorn on the couch, and watch some Tom Hanks movies. She was tempted for a moment to go back to Damon, but she knew that it would only upset her further and she needed to keep my resolve to stay away from him. She would call Jenna, but she had gone out with a couple friends tonight and her aunt seldom got a break that Andy would feel bad if she pulled her away early. Plus, Jenna was probably drunk at this point and that was the last thing Andy wanted her driver to be.

Just then, she heard footsteps approaching from behind her. Her immediate thought was that Damon had come after her and she couldn’t help but feel a bit annoyed he had the nerve to speak to her after their conversation.

“Damon, I—” Andy turned around to see someone with a full-face mask that was gold with the details in red and a creepy grin fixed into it. The next thing she knew was a cloth was shoved in her face and she has twirled around and pulled against their chest. She did her best to thrash against the person to try to break their grasp, but it was to no avail as she felt the darkness begin to overwhelm her.

**_~ * • ° • ° • * ~_ **


	2. Along Came a Spider

**_Poison & Wine ~ Chapter II_ **

**_~ •°•°•*~_ **

_Andy woke up and immediately felt the stuffiness of the room she was in. When she opened her eyes, she saw nothing but complete darkness in front of her, and she felt her fear and anxiety spike. She began breathing heavily as she stretched out her hands to feel her surroundings. Her hand hit the side of something hard and the flat surface felt coarse against her palms._

Am I buried alive?  _Her blood turned cold at the very thought. She started thrashing and screaming, trying to break free of her captivity. Her heart was racing and the walls were still there no matter how hard she banged against the sides of the door, the darkness feeling as if it was consuming her. The walls were beginning to feel as if they were slinking closer to her until suddenly… the walls disappeared altogether. There was still darkness around her until a burst of light overtook her senses and left her blinded for a moment._

_After a moment, Andy's sight adjusted and she looked around at her surroundings. She was in a vaguely familiar set of woods, somewhere that was out by the Lockwood Mansion. She had spent countless days there whether it be because of a party or when she was exploring the woods with Tyler and Matt. As she glanced around, there was nothing or no one in sight other than trees as far as she could see._

" _Anastasia," A voice spoke from behind her, causing her to jump in surprise. It was whispered so low she almost didn't hear it and could nearly have mistaken it for the wind. "Anastasia..." The name repeated a little louder, and this time Andy could hear it was a man's voice. That wasn't her name, but she felt compelled to listen to it._

_Andy turned toward the direction of the voice and saw a blond man and blue piercing eyes. His lips whispered the name again and she felt something stir in her stomach, though it was a mixture of fear and intrigue rather than butterflies. He had soft features, with plump and pink lips that turned into a smirk as if he knew something she didn't._

_He held out his hand, beckoning her forward. Andy reached forward, amazed at this beautiful stranger... She started to take his palm until her gaze bored to the bodies lying behind him. There were dozens of them, all of them with two puncture holes in their necks. Andy looked back up at him in fear, noticing there was now blood around his mouth and two fangs protruding from his gums. Instead of the cerulean eyes, amber eyes awaited her._

_Andy began retreating but he followed her steps as if he was stalking his prey, though still held out his hand to her. As she backed up, she tripped on a log, falling back onto the ground. However, instead of the ground, she landed in a box, the sides of it seeming to start to cave in on her.  
_

" _No!" She screamed before the lid shut, once again leading her into the darkness again as she continued screaming._

Andy's eyes flew open as a scream became caught in her throat. She had beads of sweat on her forehead and her dry throat stopped blocked the scream. Looking around, she saw she was lying on an old, dusty couch in a room that was almost devoid of furniture and had clearly not been used for several years. The walls were lined with cracks and vines, and as she looked around her gaze suddenly stopped on another person who was lying unconscious, propped up at the other end of the couch.

"Elena!" Andy exclaimed as she scooted closer to her sister, though she moved too quickly and made her aware of a splitting headache. Still, Andy powered through it, checking her sister's pulse and was relieved when she found one. Although she knew it wasn't recommended, Andy began shaking Elena as gently as she could without hurting her, but she remained unconscious. Looking down, Andy noticed her sister wasn't in her dress from the masquerade.

The masquerade. Damon. The person with the gold mask.  _Fuck_.

She began to fully process that fact they the two of them had been kidnapped. Elena had a dried bloodstain of the stomach of her pink shirt. However, a quick check made her sigh in relief as there wasn't even a scratch. Still, Elena wasn't wearing the dress she had been, so Andy assumed Elena had at least made it home before she was kidnapped. However, her sister wore the exact same outfit she had on from before the masquerade.

Andy put those thoughts out of her mind as she thought of the implications of Elena being grabbed when she was at home. Did they hurt Jenna and Jeremy? What did they want with them? And why had they gone out of their way to kidnap them both?

"Elena, I swear to God if you don't wake up I'm going to find some liquid to throw on you, even if it's nasty water from a puddle," Andy threatened as she shook her sister again, her fear growing with every passing second. She had never had to deal with something like this, and while she was relatively confident in defending herself, defending someone unconscious against a person—or people, though she hoped that wasn't the case—would not be easy.

"You okay there?" Andy jumped at the voice and instinctively searched with her hands for a weapon as she turned toward the voice. She saw a man watching her from the doorway on the top of the stairs. He had brown hair that was slightly past his ears, blue eyes, and at least six feet tall.

Andy couldn't find a weapon with her hands at all and felt panic rise in her as she stared at the man. As she spoke she did her best to keep her voice even. "Who are you?" She asked, deciding to keep her sentences short so he wouldn't be tipped off to her fear. Though, from his small smile, she felt he knew she was panicking.

"Trevor's the name," As he introduced himself he took a few steps forward, causing Andy to tense up as he began walking down the stairs. Gesturing to Elena, he stopped in the middle of the staircase, the corner of his lips pulling up slightly in amusement. Andy began mentally preparing herself to fight. "So you two are twins?"

"I don't think that's important," Andy said, her eyes locked on him as he stood still on the stairs.

"Oh, come on. We can be civil, can't we?" Trevor said, slowly walking down the rest of the stairs, though he didn't move any closer to the Gilbert girls. "Honestly, there's only a hint of resemblance between you two. You have the same eyes, but you're a little paler than she is."

"…We get that a lot, just typically not from kidnappers." Andy replied as she glanced at Elena from the corner of her eyes. However, when she looked back up at Trevor to ask what he wanted with them, he was no longer there. She had only looked away for a second, how was he gone? He had walked down the stairs and the only other entrance to the room was closer to Andy so either way, she would have seen him leave.

Andy wasn't sure how long it was until whoever kidnapped them whether it was just Trevor or more people came back. She was beginning to think it had something to do with their father, but he had not been alive for quite a while now. Whatever the case, she knew that while she was in high heels and a dress, especially since she didn't know anything about self-defense, these people had the upper hand.

She stood from the couch, her legs shaking slightly as her feet screamed in the heels. However, she refused to remove the heels as long as she was in this house. The last thing she needed was to step on a nail. Looking around she didn't see anything she could use as a weapon around, other than a couple of old chairs and table. If she was strong enough she probably could break a leg off it, but that was not going to happen.

As Andy was looking around for something to use as a weapon, Elena suddenly shot up from her spot on the couch with a gasp.

"Elena!" Andy exclaimed, happy to see she was finally awake. She rushed over to her sister and put a hand on her shoulder as Elena caught her breath.

"Andy!" Elena replied as she looked up at her twin in shock. She then glanced around at their surroundings. "Where… where are we?"

"I have no clue," Andy admitted, sitting next to her sister. "I was at the masquerade going home and suddenly I was grabbed by this guy in a mask. Next thing I know I woke up here."

"The same thing happened to me," Elena said.

"Then why aren't you in your dress if you were grabbed at the masquerade?" Andy questioned, looking at her sister in confusion. Elena looked back in until a look of horror at the realization of their situation hit her.

"I... I um, brought a bag to change with me in my car. You know it's not that comfortable driving in heels," Elena explained, though she looked distracted as she looked around their surroundings. "Has anyone been in here yet, Andy?"

"This guy, Trevor, was in here. He didn't say what he—or  _they_ —wanted… but I don't have a good feeling about this," Andy said with a sigh. "All he said was that we don't look like twins before he just disappeared. It's weird, Elena. He was at the bottom of those stairs, and all of the sudden he was just  _gone_ , as if he hadn't been there in the first place."

Elena stood, glancing back at her sister. "We're going to figure this out. Don't worry, okay? I'll handle this."

"Uh, since when have you been the one to rush into decisions?" Andy asked as she stood and grabbed Elena's arm to stop her from heading to the door.

"Just trust me, Andy," Elena reassured, turning back towards Andy. "Everything will be okay."

Andy looked at her sister suspiciously. "Elena, what is going on here? We don't know what these people want yet. The best plan is to wait here for a moment, not walk someone where we might see something we're not supposed to. I don't know if you've noticed neither of us are exactly skilled in fighting or negotiation."

Elena sighed and glanced over at the door. "Do you trust me, Andy?"

"Why do I have a feeling I'll regret saying yes?"

"Do you?" Elena repeated, her tone and expression serious. Andy exhaled and nodded in response. "Okay, then I need you to just stay while I handle this, and I'll explain everything after all of this is over."

"I'm not letting you go anywhere alone," Andy quickly said. "Want me to shut up for a bit? Fine, but I'm not letting you just deal with this on your own. I'm here, so I'm involved."

Elena sighed again and the two stared at each other for a long moment before the older twin finally cracked. "Okay, but please… let me handle this."

"Aye aye, captain," Andy said, gesturing to the door. As they quietly snuck up the stairs, Andy was trying to piece together why Elena would want to be the one to handle this. She clearly knew something about what was going on, but how? Elena had been unconscious for the entire time they had been held captive. Did she know Trevor?

As the two made it closer to the top of the stairs, they could hear a conversation between their captors.  _Great_ , Andy thought to herself,  _so there is more than one_.

"So that's it, Trevor," A woman said. "He either got it or he didn't. We just have to wait."

"Look, it's not too late. We can leave them here. We don't have to go through with this," Trevor said, his tone filled with fear. What was he afraid of? Still, Andy hoped they would just leave them here so she and Elena could make a break for it before this "he" Trevor seemed fearful of showed up.

"I'm sick of running!" The woman exclaimed, her tone full of frustration.

"Yeah? Well, running keeps us from dying," Trevor retorted.  _So we're some sort of free ticket?_ Andy thought to herself. What else could it be? But even so, she didn't understand how kidnapping a couple of teenage girls would free them. Unless whoever they were being handed off to was some sort of nefarious man…

Andy and Elena had managed to make it nearly to the doorway where they could see the two speaking. The woman Trevor was speaking to was pretty with her dark brown hair cropped to a short and simple bob. She wore a pair of jeans, boots, and a leather jacket over top of a green shirt.

"Elijah's old school. If he accepts our deal, we're free," The woman insisted.

As the two spoke, Andy accidently made one of the boards squeak under her feet. Both twins' heads snapped over to their captors to see if they had heard it. Unfortunately, both Trevor and the woman he was speaking to immediately turned to them.

"You two!" Within a second, the woman was right in front of them and it shocked Andy so much that she jumped back in fear.

"What the hell?!" Andy exclaimed as she stared at the woman in horror. Her hands began to tremble.

However, the women didn't acknowledge Andy's reaction and instead looked to Elena. "There's nothing around here for miles. If you think you're getting out of this house, you're both tragically wrong. Understood?" The woman then looked to Andy.

"Yeah, t-totally," Andy said as she grabbed the sides of her dress to try to hide her trembling hands. "No  _Shawshank Redemption_  here." Andy swallowed and looked over at Elena to see her reaction, only to be surprised by her sister's blatant disregard for the woman's words.

"Who's Elijah?" Elena asked, folding her arms over her chest as she looked at the woman in defiance. While Andy admired her strength not to freak out at the moment, she also didn't want to die all because Elena suddenly wanted to play alpha.

"Your worst nightmare," The woman answered before she turned and walked out of the room, with Trevor soon following behind her. Elena sighed and turned toward Andy, and instantly took note of her sister's sickly state. Reminding herself that Andy didn't have any clue the supernatural existed, Elena hurried over and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. She led Andy back to the room they had just come from and had her sit back on the couch.

"Elena…" Andy said, her brown eyes finding Elena's. "What the fuck did I just see?"

Elena sighed and put her hands n Andy's shudder. "It's too complicated to go into now—"

"Seriously? I'm not a child, Elena. I know what I saw," Andy shrugged her sister's hands off and gestured in the direction of their captors. "This isn't something that you can leave me in the dark on. I deserve to know what these people are."

The twins had a short stare off, neither of them backing down. Finally, Elena sighed in defeat. "You're not even going to believe me."

"At this point, I'm willing to believe just about anything."

Elena exhaled and spoke in a gentle tone. "They're vampires."

Andy stared at her sister for a few moments, trying to figure out if she had heard correctly before she looked down at her hands. What was she supposed to do? Laugh and demand another answer? She had seen the woman appear right in front of them despite being on the other side of the room, and Trevor had disappeared out of nowhere. As much as she wanted to believe Elena was kidding, at this moment she couldn't think of a rational reason. Her main concern was that she and Elena made it out alive.

"I know it's a lot to process, but right now we might not have the time to go into it," Elena said, patting Andy's hands with her own before standing. Andy looked up in alarm as her sister headed toward the stairs.

"You're not actually going back in there, right?" Andy asked, standing to her feet. Elena stopped and looked back at her sister with an uneasy expression, confirming Andy's fears. "Elena, that woman sped across the room within a moment! And you're just going to go provoke her?!"

"Andy, I've dealt with people like this before," Elena admitted. "I need to find out what they want and who this Elijah guy is."

"Elena, I'm not letting you go back in there alone," Andy closed the distance between them and glanced to see if Trevor or the woman had walked in yet.

"Just… stay here, okay? You're safer in here while I go ask them some questions," Elena insisted, guiding her back over to the couch. "You're in shock. Just take a couple of moments and breathe."

"No! Don't be stupid, Elena. You're going to get yourself killed," Andy pointed out, grabbing Elena's arm to stop her again. "If you're going, then so am I."

"No, you're not," Elena grabbed Andy's shoulder and looked at her, her brows furrowed together. "Andy, you have no experience with vampires. They will not hesitate to kill you."

"But they won't kill you?" Andy questioned.

"No," Elena answered confidently. "It's a long story, but I know they need me. However, I don't think you're as important to them."

"Wow, thanks," Andy replied dryly with a roll of her eyes. "And you keep saying you've dealt with 'people like them.' What do you mean? What vampire other than Edward Cullen do you know?"

Elena sighed and shook her head. "More than you realize. Just, please, for once in your life listen to me. I can press them for answers without getting hurt. Stay here, and if anyone comes in just ignore them and keep to yourself. I'm not going to be gone for more than five minutes."

Andy reluctantly nodded, though she had a bad feeling in her gut. "Fine. But at the five-minute mark, I'm coming to look for you."

Elena nodded in acknowledgment before she turned and headed for the stairs. Andy waited until she was out of the room before she walked over to one of the old chairs. If these were vampires, then she at least should have some form of weapon in case they came near. Still, her brain was doing her best to think of other rational explanations.

The chair was old, and Andy decided to throw it against the wall hard enough should do the trick to break off a part of it. As she lifted the chair, she saw Trevor enter the room with a hammer and some wooden boards in his arms. She smashed the chair and quickly picked up one of the rods. While there wasn't a sharp point, she made one by cracking it on her thigh and looked up at Trevor with a fearful expression.

"We're not going to hurt you," Trevor commented as he began descending the stairs.

"And I'm supposed to trust you?" Andy asked, watching him closely as he went over to a window. He was being careful to avoid the sunlight as he began boarding up the windows.

"You heard at least a part of my conversation with Rose. You know we plan on using you and your sister as a bartering chip," Trevor answered, glancing over at her. Rose. Well, at least Andy knew their names in case she and Elena managed to escape. She wasn't sure how, but she would remember to beat their asses one day.

"Precisely the reason I don't trust you," Andy said, keeping her grasp on her makeshift stakes tight. "Who is this Elijah? Is he… is he a vampire like you?"

Trevor paused and looked over at her for a moment before turning away and continuing his job. "He's an Original. One of the first vampires in existence," He explained. "And that stake won't work too well on him."

"I guess it's only really got to work on you and Rose then, huh?" Andy shot back, causing Trevor to chuckle.

"You don't remember me, do you?" Trevor questioned. Andy looked at him in confusion as he explained. "I dined at your work a few times when we were trying to find a good time to grab you two."

"There's a lot of people who come through there. I don't remember half of the people who come through there."

"I don't blame you. I'm not particularly memorable anyways," Trevor moved to the next window. After a few moments of silence, he glanced over at her to see she was still standing there with the stakes, looking scared that he would pounce. He tried to lighten the mood despite knowing he was handing her over to an Original. "Pretty dress, by the way."

"…Thanks," Andy replied dryly, knowing her dress was a wrinkled and stained mess at the moment. After a second, she changed the topic. "You guys are really vampires?"

"Yes, for quite some time now," Trevor answered.

"So are you closer to Buffy,  _Twilight_ , or Anne Rice material?"

Trevor looked over at her, but his face was different than before. His eyes were black, with veins branching around them. Fangs protruded from his mouth and Andy nearly fell back as she stepped away from him out of fear. Then as if nothing had happened, his face turned back to normal and he continued boarding up the windows.

"Okay… so you're a vampire then," Andy whispered, her brain racing as it tried to figure out if this was happening right now or if it was all one big nightmare. She put on stake under her arm to use her free hand to pinch herself, but nothing happened. She wasn't dreaming. Still, she figured if she questioned him enough and there was some inconsistency with his story, it would prove that this was all a figment of her imagination. "Well, you look pretty young. How old are you?"

He looked over at her. "A little over five hundred years."

Andy nodded and did her best to stay composed. If she began freaking out she knew she would probably ruin this chance to find out more information on what the hell was going on.

"I'm Andy. You said your name was Trevor, right?" He nodded slowly and looked at her nervously. She gave him a smile, doing her best to seem friendly. She had to build some sort of repertoire with him if she was as expendable as Elena made her sound. "Trevor. Not a normal vampire name I suppose, but it suits you."

"What  _is_  a normal vampire name?"

Andy shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. "Dracula. Lestat. Spike. I don't know. Take any name from a vampire in pop culture," He chuckled, but Andy continued with her questioning. "Why were you running? Who were— _are_ —you running from? Elijah? Who is he anyway? If I'm allowed to ask, Trevor." She quickly added, hoping not to offend the vampire. The last thing she needed was for him to zip across the room and attack her.

However, he didn't get a chance to respond. Just as he was about to answer, the woman, Rose, entered the room with Elena hot on her heels. "Tell me more," Elena demanded, glancing over at her sister briefly and her eyes widening when she saw Andy had stakes in her hands. Andy looked back sheepishly, though was glad that Elena didn't look hurt.

"Captivity has made her pushy, eh? Andy over there was at least nicer about her questions," Trevor winked at Andy before turning back to Elena. "What do you want to know, doppelicious?"

"Who were you running from?" Elena questioned as she stopped in front of the couch. Andy moved over to stand closer to her sister as Trevor responded to her question.

"The Originals."

"Yeah, she said that," Elena said, quickly becoming annoyed. "What does that mean?"

"The first family, the old world," Trevor said, moving to another window. "Rose and I pissed them off."

"Mm-mm," Rose looked over at Trevor with a raised eyebrow.

He turned towards them finally with a sigh. "Correction,  _I_  pissed them off, Rose had my back, and for over half a millennium they've wanted us dead."

"What did you do, Trevor? Kill one of their pet bats?" Andy questioned, earning a grin from him as he finished up with the last window.

"He made the same mistakes countless others did: he trusted Katerina Petrova," Rose said, throwing a pointed look to Elena.

"Katherine," Elena said in realization, horror etched in her expression.

"Who?" Andy asked in confusion. Who was Katherine? Andy was slowly becoming angrier that she was left out of the loop on this one. Elena seemingly knew all about vampires and why the hell these people had kidnapped them.

"The one and only, the first Petrova doppelganger," Rose confirmed, glancing at Andy briefly.

"I helped her escape her fate and now I've—sorry— _we've_  been marked since," Trevor added as he came to stand by Rose's side.

"Which is why we're not going to make the same mistake again," Rose gave a pointed look to Andy before she turned and walked toward the door with Trevor on her heels.

"Wait," Elena called out and they turned to face the twins again. "Why is Andy here? She's got nothing to do with Katherine or any of this."

"Katerina had a twin sister, Emmeline. She was…  _involved_  with the Originals," Rose responded, looking Andy up and down. Andy shifted uneasily as the attention turned to her, still not entirely understanding the full implications of what they were talking about.

"There was a painting in one part of the manor, their own personal parlor. She was an exact replica of Emiliya. They were very angry when part of the manor house burnt down, burning the painting with it," Trevor explained, looking over at Rose. "Don't you recall the two brothers going on a manhunt for whoever started the fire? And the way they doted on Emiliya?"

Rose turned back to look at Elena and Andy, folding her arms over her chest. "The point is that we figure Elijah will surely forgive us since we've got both of you."

"A life for a life, huh?" Andy said with a shake of her head, a bit disgusted that they were willing to hand two teens over to some Original because they had screwed up centuries back. Not that Andy knew the full story, and maybe these people were good, but right now she was convinced that they were the farthest from it.

"Something like that," Rose replied before she turned around and finally left the room with Trevor. Once they were gone, Elena sat down on the couch, and Andy immediately followed suit.

"Are you okay?" Elena asked hesitantly, putting her hand on Andy's shoulder. She turned to face Elena, unable to hide her fear or the fact she was hurt by being in the dark.

"You've had to know about vampires for some time, Elena. You knew what they were even before you saw them."

"Andy—"

"Are you one?"

Elena sighed and shook her head. "No, I'm not."

"Who is then? Jeremy? Tyler? Matt? Caroline? Stefan? Damon?" Andy demanded, growing angrier as she thought of everyone who could be a vampire. While she did understand it wasn't something you wanted everyone to now, it still irked her that vampires were real and no one, not even her sister, decided to mention it.

"Caroline, Stefan, and Damon are," Elena answered after a moment of hesitation. Andy immediately felt like she was going to barf.  _Damon is a_ vampire _. I nearly kissed him. My pre-teen self would be giddy right now_ , she thought to herself as she leaned back into the couch. "I am so sorry I didn't tell you before, Andy, I was trying to protect you," Elena tried explaining, but Andy was quick to cut her off.

"I don't want your explanations right now, Elena, I just want to go home," She said wearily, rubbing her temples.

"I know, we will. I promise." Elena nodded, rubbing her sister's back in comfort. Right then, Elena noticed a random wrinkled up piece of paper by her feet. She leaned over and picked it up, quickly unwrinkling it as she sat back on the couch. Andy leaned over to read the handwriting.

_Stefan and Damon are coming for you both – B_

The only person it could be was Bonnie, right? While there wasn't a lack of other people with their names beginning with B's, by Elena's smile, Andy inferred it was Bonnie. She wasn't sure how the piece of paper got there, but if they were going to be saved, Andy decided she could ask how it got there later.

Footsteps began echoing as someone headed in their directions. Elena quickly hid the note as the two turned to see Rose walk back in. The woman walked in and eyed them suspiciously, but before she could ask what they were doing, Trevor came rushing in with a wild look in his eyes.

"He's here!"

**_~ •°•°•*~_ **


	3. Pulp Fiction

**_Poison & Wine ~ Chapter III_ **

**_~ •°•°•*~_ **

“He’s here!” Trevor said, his tone filled with dear as he rushed over to Rose. “This was a mistake.”

Elena and Andy glanced at each other as they stood to their feet. The happy news of Stefan and Damon being in route to their location was overshadowed by the fact soon they might be beyond saving.

“No, I told you I'd get us out of this. You have to trust me,” Rose tried calming him down.

“No! He wants me dead, Rose!” Trevor paced around nervously.

“He wants them more,” Rose pointed out, gesturing to the twins. When Trevor said that this Emiliya girl was involved with the Originals, he hadn’t been exact why Andy would be here. They had called Katerina, Emiliya’s twin sister, a doppelganger, and Andy knew what that meant. However, how did these Petrova girls relate back to her and Elena?

“I can't do this,” Trevor shook his head. “You give them to him, he’ll have mercy on _you_ but I need to get out of here.”

“Hey!” Rose put her hands on his cheeks, getting him to stop pacing. “What are we?”

He sighed, then gave her a weak smile. “We’re family, forever,” Just then there was a knock on the door and the two vampires flinched involuntarily. Andy turned to look at Elena, feeling her fear beginning to consume her. She was genuinely afraid that Elena and her wouldn’t be making it out of here alive.

“You're scared,” Elena pointed out as she looked at the two vampires with her own fear written across her face.

“Stay here with them and don't make a sound,” Rose instructed before she left the room. Andy almost would have felt sympathy for them had they not kidnapped them for their own survival.

Elena suddenly grabbed Andy’s hand and they squeezed one another’s hand tightly. “I’m done with dumb ass masquerade parties,” She muttered and Elena squeezed her hand tighter. “And vampires.”

After what felt like an eternity but was only a couple of minute, they heard footsteps coming closer to the room. Andy watched with bated breath for Elijah to appear with Rose, picturing an old, Gary Oldman type of man. However, when he walked through the doorway, she was proven wrong. The man at the top of the stairs was relatively young, somewhere in his mid to late twenties. The man had glanced around the room, his eyes stopping on Elena for a second before they moved to Andy.

Everything seemed to freeze as Elijah and Andy made eye contact. Andy felt her own breath hitch as they did, and her heart began pounding faster. Within another moment, he was suddenly in front of her.

Now that he was closely she could get a better look at him. He was roughly 5’11” in height, and he wore a dark suit. He had short brown hair but it was styled like curtains going down the side of his face which made him look older in her opinion, with hazel brown eyes. His facial features were angular; he had high cheekbones, a strong jawline, and a straight nose. His eyes were searching hers. She was still scared, but there was something so familiar about him that she was trying to place how she knew him.

“It’s impossible,” He whispered, his voice eliciting goosebumps on Andy’s skin. She swallowed nervously, not liking how close he was to her and the way he was looking at her. Andy watched him as he leaned down and stuck his face close to her neck, causing her breath to hitch as she felt his breath hit her skin. More goosebumps broke out across her skin and she felt like her knees were Jell-O as she feared this could be the end for her right then and there. Finally, he raised his head back up and peered into her brown eyes with a small smile. “Human... Hello there.”

“Leave her alone!” Elena exclaimed, but the two were still gazing at each other.

“Quiet,” Elijah said to Elena as he finally glanced over at her. Andy exhaled a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. Andy looked over at her sister who was staring at Elijah in fear. Looking back at him she saw he was watching her again. “What are your names?” He asked.

Andy swallowed hard, waiting for Elena to answer for fear she wouldn’t be able to find her voice. However, Elena hesitated, but Andy found herself answering. “That's my sister, Elena, and I'm—I'm Andy,” She introduced them, doing my best to keep her voice even. She bit the inside of her mouth as she felt her grip tighten on the stake in her hand.

“And your last name?”

“Gilbert.” Elijah nodded and Andy looked down finally, growing more afraid to look him in the eyes because of the intense way he was looking at her. He reached over and grabbed her chin, forcing her gaze back up.

“Where are you from?” He inquired, his voice softening slightly. Andy looked at him in confusion at the sudden softness and answered his question.

“Mystic Falls, Virginia.” She saw the recognition light up in his eyes. He turned to look at Elena, who Andy noticed was watching them in worry. Elijah turned back to face Andy and exhaled.

“We have a long journey ahead of us,” He said, letting go of her chin finally. He looked Andy up and down, taking note of her attire with a disapproving look. “We should be going. We will grab you other garments…” He glanced over at Elena and saw her bloodied shirt. “For the both of you.”

Elena looked over at Rose in desperation. “Please don't let him take us,” She pleaded in vain to the woman. At this point, Andy had accepted that they were screwed. Elijah was going to take them with him, and these two vampires weren’t going to do shit to stop him if it meant their freedom.

“One last piece of business and we're done,” Elijah said to Andy, his gaze lingering for a few seconds before he turned to face the two vampires in the room. He approached Trevor, who was looking at the ground and seemed to be shaking in his boots. Andy rushed over to her sister and the two wrapped their arms around each other.

“I've waited so long for this day, Elijah,” Trevor said, his gaze glued to the ground since he was too afraid to look at the Original. “I'm truly, very sorry.”

“Oh no, your apologies are not necessary,” Elijah said, circling around Trevor like a lion stalking its prey. Andy couldn’t help but watch Elijah, a bit mesmerized by his graceful movements. He was like a storm brewing with the impending doom that came with one.

“Yes, yes, it is. You trusted me with the Petrova sisters… and I failed you,” Trevor said, his voice breaking.

“Oh yes, you are the guilty one and Rose—” Elijah glanced over at the woman before he continued circling around Trevor one last time. “—aided you because she was loyal to you and that, now, I honor. Where was your loyalty?" He stopped circling and stood in front of Trevor.

Something about all of this didn’t seem right to Andy, and the nauseous feeling returned to her. The way Elijah was acting toward Trevor, it was threatening. She was beginning to think that no matter what Trevor said, the odds were not in his favor to make it out of this house alive.

“I-I beg your forgiveness.”

“So granted," Elijah said, causing Andy to look at them in surprise. That… wasn’t what she had been expecting. However, the two seconds after her initial shock, what she expected to happen finally did. Trevor finally met Elijah’s gaze with a smile, only to be met with Elijah’s hand, which cleanly knocked his head clean off his shoulders.

Rose cried out in pain while Elena and Andy stared on in shock. Andy felt sick to her stomach as she watched Trevor’s lifeless body crumple to the ground. Sure, she had seen plenty of movies with gore, but seeing a man get decapitated right in front of her? That was something new entirely. Andy covered my mouth with both hands as she turned her head away, doing her best not to barf as she squeezed her eyes tightly. Still, the only thing she could see behind her eyelids was the image of Trevor’s head rolling onto the ground.

“You…!” Rose cried out as she started moving towards the Original. Elijah was wiping the blood from his hands with a handkerchief in his pocket.

“Don't, Rose, now that you are free,” He said simply, not in the least bit affected by the fact he had just killed a man. When Andy opened her eyes and turned to look at him, she felt disgusted by his lack of reaction. He looked up at her, holding his newly clean hand to them, his gaze focused on Andy. “Come.”

“After you just killed Trevor?!” Andy shouted, holding the stake up and preparing to stab someone if needed. “Sorry buddy, not my style! You even touch me and I’m shanking your ass.”

Elijah looked at Andy in annoyance and began to walk toward them, but Elena pushed Andy behind her. “No, what about the moonstone?” She asked him.

Elijah paused and looked at Elena, clearly intrigued by her words. “What do you know about the moonstone?” He demanded.

“I know that you need it and I know where it is,” Elena shot back, grasping Andy’s hand and keeping her voice even. Andy quickly grabbed the other stake from the couch before holding them up defensively.

“Yes?” He asked, clearly becoming more and more impatient with each second passing.

“I can help you get it.”

“ _Tell_ me where it is.”

“It doesn't work that way,” Elena shook her head.

“Are you negotiating with me?” Elijah asked with a raised eyebrow before looking over at Rose. He was amused at her audacity, and Andy felt herself growing more uneasy. She was certain this man didn’t negotiate with anyone; it was his way or nothing.

Rose stared back at him in hatred. “It's the first I've heard of it,” She said through clenched teeth.

“Yeah, the moonstone!” Andy played along, nudging her way next to Elena again. “We know where it’s at and you’re not getting that… stone until we get something in return. Preferably a ride back to a train station and fifty bucks so we can all pretend this never happened and totally not report you all to the police.”

Within a second Elijah had sped over to them and yanked Andy away from her sister. She struggled against his hold on her arm, but he kept her away as he gazed down at Elena. He glanced down at her necklace after a moment.

“What is this vervain doing around your neck?” He asked, yanking Elena’s necklace off and tossing it to the side. He looked over at Andy then. “And, you, your bracelet.” He yanked Andy’s bracelet that Damon had given her a couple months ago and threw it across the room as well.

While he was distracted, Andy used her left hand to grab the stake from the hand Elijah was grasping and immediately plunged it into his gut without hesitation. He immediately let go of her and yanked the stake out, tossing it across the room as he looked at Andy in annoyance. Andy watched in shock as his wound healed almost immediately. Before she could do anything, he had grabbed her by the back of her head and forced her gaze to meet his.

“You will not attempt to attack me again,” Elijah said.

“I will not attempt to attack you again,” Andy said in a monotone. She blinked in confusion as Elijah dropped his hands from her and looked over at Elena. “What the hell?”

Elijah also turned his attention to Elena. Just as he did Andy, he reached forward and grabbed Elena by the back of her head. “Tell me where the moonstone is.” He said to her.

“In the tomb, underneath the church ruins,” Elena answered in a similar monotone to Andy. She looked in fear at the gaze between the two. What was going on? Why did she want to hit Elijah, but her arms were literally stuck by her sides every time she tried to raise them to hit him.

“What is it doing there?” Elijah questioned.

“It's with Katherine.”

“Interesting,” Elijah let Elena’s go and straightened his posture out. However, they were all distracted as the sound of glass shattering in the next room echoed. “What is that?” He asked, looking over at Rose.

“I don't know,” Rose answered as she glanced at the door to the room.

“Who else is in this house?” Elijah demanded, his tone filled with anger.

“ _I_ _don't_ _know_.” Rose snapped back at him. He grabbed Elena and Andy by the upper arm, pulling them into the foyer.

Someone started moving around them with super speed. Andy barely saw the blurs of someone before they were gone altogether. Elijah threw Elena and Andy into Rose’s arms and she gripped onto both tightly. “Rose,” Elijah said in a threatening tone, clearly not happy with how this was going.

“I don't know who it is,” Rose insisted, a bit of worry in her voice.

“Up here…” A voice said from the top of the stairs, but Andy couldn’t see anyone standing up there. She thought it sounded familiar, but she couldn’t quite place it. Elijah sped up to the top of the stairs, looking around himself for the source.

“Down here.” Now that was a voice Andy would always recognize. It was Damon, meaning the other voice was Stefan’s, which now made sense to her. Had the Salvatore brothers had come to save them just as Bonnie’s note stated? Andy didn’t get a chance to dwell on it, because Elijah got shot in the hand with a stake and then suddenly she was yanked away from Rose.

After her vision blurred for a moment, she found that she was against a wall in another room and that she was dizzy from the fast movement. The dizziness passed after a few seconds and she saw Damon was next to her, pressing Rose against the wall as he covered her mouth with his hand and used his other to put a finger over his mouth. Then he looked over at Andy, and while she was appreciative for his help, she was also scared how this was going to turn out.

Then, they all heard Elijah's voice as he spoke, making sure he spoke loudly. Andy turned and couldn’t resist the temptation of glancing from around the corner, but before she could Damon had yanked her back with a frustrated expression.

“Excuse me,” Elijah said. “To whom it may concern, you’'re making a great mistake if you think you can beat me. You can't. Do you hear that?” He continued, and they heard wood snapping as he broke off a part of the bannister to use as a makeshift stake. “I repeat you cannot beat me. So, I want both the girls. I’m going to count to three or heads will roll. Do we understand each other?”

Andy straightened up at the next voice she heard. “I'll come with you, just please don't hurt my friends, they just wanted to help us out,” Elena said. _What the hell was she doing?!_ Andy thought and would have run out there had it not been for Damon’s grip on her.

“What game are you playing with me? And where is Andy?” Elijah questioned.

Andy was now straining to see Elijah and Elena. She could see the barest hints of Elijah at the bottom of the staircase, and Elena at the top of it. Suddenly she chucked a grenade at Elijah and he yelled in frustration. Damon groaned before he sped away from Rose and Andy. Andy glanced back at Rose before she ran out to where the action was, which was probably idiotic of her considering she was unexperienced, a human, and in formal wear.

As Andy turned the corner, she paused when she saw she was just a few feet away from Elijah. He turned and looked at her, suspicion flashing in his eyes as he took a step toward her. Andy took an involuntary step back out of fear. Before Elijah could grab her, he was suddenly slammed into a wall by Damon with a coat rack. Andy saw that the coat rack had impaled Elijah through his chest and probably right into his heart. His skin was beginning to turn grey and his veins were popping out all over him. He looked over at Andy one last time before he slumped over, his eyes closing as he became lifeless.

“Just let her go,” Elena said from the top of the stairs. Andy turned to see that Rose had vanished and that Elena had been talking to Damon, presumably about Rose. Andy got a good angle on the next event that unfolded. Elena smiled down at Damon and he smiled right back up at her, a genuine smile that I hadn’t often seen on his face. She started running down the stairs and Damon thought she was coming for him, but instead my sister went straight into Stefan's arms.

“Hey, come here. Are you hurt? Are you okay?” Stefan asked, putting his hands on the sides of her face before they embraced again. Andy took a deep breath, trying to shake off what she just saw between Elijah decapitating someone and Damon getting rejected by my sister. Serves him right, Andy thought as stared at the three.

Andy then saw Elena mouth “Thank you” to Damon over Stefan’s shoulder and he mouthed back “You're welcome,” looking back at her dejectedly. He had a pained expression and Andy turned to look at Elijah again, doing her best to pretend like she hadn’t seen it.

“Andy—” She heard Damon say and saw him start to walk toward her out of her peripheral but she spun to look at him with a glare, unable to help her anger.

“You stay away from me!” Andy snapped at him. Elena and Stefan looked over at them, pressing pause on their reunion. Elena started to approach her sister but she jumped away from her as well. “All of you just stay away from me for a damn moment.”

Stefan attempted to calm Andy down. “Andy, we're not going to hurt you—”

“Shut the fuck up!” Andy shouted before she gestured to Elijah’s body. “I get kidnapped by two vampires and then one gets decapitated by this asshole! Don’t you _dare_ try to calm me down when you could just as easily decapitate me!”

“Well, if it’d shut you up…” Damon commented.

“Fuck you!” Andy exclaimed, scowling at him. “I wouldn’t have even gotten kidnapped if your ass wouldn’t have been a jerk at the Masquerade!”

“Maybe if you hadn’t stormed off—”

“Guys!” Stefan interrupted, giving them both a wary look. “Can we argue about this in the car?”

“I just want to get the hell home.” Andy snapped, throwing a glare in their direction. She turned and stormed out of the house, ready to get some sort of explanation for what she had seen.

**_~ •°•°•*~_ **


	4. The Ugly Truth

**_Poison_ ** **_ & Wine ~ Chapter IV_ **

**_~ •°•°•*~_ **

_Andy was walking through a green field decorated with various flowers and the sun beaming down on it. Birds chirped and bees zoomed around as she leaned her head back to bask in the sunlight. After a moment, she sensed someone was approaching and turned to see a man standing closer to the edge of the field. Immediately a smile pulled at her lips as recognition hit her, though her mind was wondering why she was feeling overjoyed at seeing him._

_“Elijah!”_

_Andy grinned at him as they both approached one another. Instead of the short hair she had first seen him with, he now had shoulder length hair and wore a dirty, brown tunic. He was smiling at her as they closed the distance between them, and as soon as he reached her grabbed her by the waist. As he leaned to kiss her, Andy noticed that the sun had disappeared, and the field had turned dark and cold, the sounds of nature no longer accompanying it. Looking around the field began to darken, and she looked over at Elijah in fear only to see his body was turning gray, his expression lifeless. Andy jumped back out of fear as Elijah’s body collapsed to the ground. Behind Elijah’s crumpled body stood the man with the cerulean eyes from her earlier dreams._

_Andy turned and began running as fast as she could, but even then, she felt as if he was right behind her. She made it into the forest and went to glance back to see he was still standing in the distance. However, this distraction caused her to bump into a tree and nearly fall. Groaning, she grabbed at her shoulder and kept running, hoping that her stupidity hadn’t damned her. After a few more moments of running, she came to three coffins. Pausing, she glanced back to see there was a sea of trees and the man was nowhere in sight. Turning back to the coffins, she saw they were now gone._

_She slowly began walking, jumping in fear as she heard the distant sounds of a wolf howling. Her bare feet were freezing against the cold, wet ground. She wrapped her arms around her torso but even then, she felt as if she couldn’t get warm. When she glanced down at her outfit she saw her green dress was ripped and dirtied. A snap of a branch to her left caused her to freeze in fear, but she saw nothing as she looked in the direction. When she turned to go in the opposite direction of the sound, she saw one coffin sitting in between the trees. Reluctantly, she approached, wearily realizing it wasn’t like the other coffins._

_It was plain, with a black exterior. Andy ran her hands over the top, feeling as if the coffin was breathing and calling to her. She contemplated turning around but something was telling her to open it. As she went to open it, the lid flew open on its own, and she was met with the faces of her parents. She gasped and quickly backed away in horror, only to be met with the man again._

_“Nik…” Andy whimpered out, her voice wavering. How did she know his name? She didn’t recognize him, but for some reason, Nik sounded right to her. He stood there silently, lifting his hand out to her. His eyes slowly changed from the blue into the amber she had seen before. Finally, he spoke up._

_“Anastasia,” He whispered, the name sounding as if it floated right off his lips._

_Andy turned to run, forgetting about the coffin behind her. She tripped and fell halfway into the coffin, though it was now empty. As she did her best to scramble to her feet, she felt arms begin to grab her, and a scream built up in her throat as she did her best to break free of the hold._

Andy woke up with a start, her breathing ragged and forehead sweaty. She gasped for air, putting a hand over her chest as she composed herself. Once she had, she looked up to see she was in an unfamiliar room. Where was she?

Her mind slowly caught up to her, reminding her of the masquerade and how she and Elena had been kidnapped…

 _Please tell me it was a dream_ , Andy thought to herself as she looked down to see that she was in a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. She had been kidnapped by vampires, seen one of them beheaded, then saved by vampires... wait, Elena said Stefan was a vampire. So, she was dating a vampire? The last thing Andy remembered was riding in Damon’s car on the way back, and how tired she had begun to feel. Had that part been a dream? Or perhaps that vampire Rose had grabbed them on the way back? She wasn’t sure, but all of this thinking was making her headache worse. Fortunately, she glanced over to see there was a glass of water on the nightstand. She quickly chugged it along with a couple pills from the Advil bottle.

Standing to her feet, Andy looked more closely at her surroundings. She was in a bedroom for sure, though it looked like it belonged to someone who had just read Better Homes and Garden. The bed was a king and felt soft against her sore back, and there was a fireplace, a large bookshelf, and a couch in the room. There were gaudy paintings on the wall, and the architecture of the room made it feel old, though the updated furniture helped bring it into the twenty-first century.

Glancing around, Andy decided to grab the fire poker in case she needed to fight off anyone. Finally, she started to make her way out of the bedroom. As she opened the door, she made sure to glance both ways to ensure no one was going to surprise attack her. Then she began creeping through the hallway. However, she didn’t make it far down the hall before creaking on the staircase she had been heading towards alerted her someone was approaching. She quickly opened a door and jumped into the room, lifting the fire poker over her head in preparation to bust whoever was approaching over the head.

With bated breath, Andy waited as the person moved closer and closer. She felt as if her heart was going to explode and did her best to keep quietly breathing. As the person started to walk past, Andy went to hit them, only to see it was just Jeremy passing by her. When he saw her move, he jumped in surprise and managed to jump out of the way of her swing. His shock only grew when he saw the weapon in her hand.

“Jeremy!” Andy exclaimed, relieved to see someone else’s face other than a vampire’s… or at least she hoped that she wasn’t about to.

“Andy! What are you doing?” Jeremy asked, gesturing to the fire poker.

“Well, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, Jeremy, but I’m not exactly in the best state right now,” Andy said, lowering the fire poker and speaking in a rushed whisper. “I was _kidnapped_! And then I’m told vampires are real and then I see one get _decapitated_. To top it all off I wake up in an unfamiliar place with different clothes on and no one is in sight. I mean, I drank water on the bedside and it was probably poisoned or something!”

“Calm down, okay? You’re safe now,” Jeremy said as he took a step towards her. He put a hand on her shoulder and smiled small at her. “You’re back in Mystic Falls. At Stefan and Damon’s place.”

Andy stared at her brother in surprise for a moment. The Salvatore Boarding House? She had been inside of it before, but only briefly and stayed downstairs. Glancing around, she could now tell it was the same old house. She paused for a second as she thought about whose room she was in. It looked like someone lived in it, not like the spare bedrooms, though it had been a boarding house before. Still, she felt herself grow pink at the thought she had slept in Damon’s bed.

“Andy?” Jeremy questioned, looking at her in worry.

She snapped out of her thoughts and looked back at him. “Uh, sorry. Um, so if I’m back in Mystic Falls… that means all that stuff did happen?” She asked him.

Jeremy gave her a sympathetic look. “We should go downstairs. The others want to talk to you as well.” He turned and began walking. For a moment Andy considered darting down the opposite way of the hall and making a run for it out one of the windows. However, Jeremy turned to see if she was following, and she knew he wouldn’t lead her into a death trap.

With a sigh, she followed him, though kept the fire poker tight in her hands.

Andy followed Jeremy silently, looking back every other second to see if anyone was following her. Finally, they made it to the bottom of the stairs and she looked to see all her friends were waiting in the room. Elena sat by Stefan on the couch, while Caroline sat on the couch opposite from them. Damon stood by the alcohol, a half empty glass already in his hands. However, as soon as Andy came into view they all stopped speaking and turned to look at her.

“You planning on hitting someone with that?” Damon questioned, referring to the fire poker.

Andy simply gave him a fake smile and held it up. “Are you volunteering?”

“You wouldn’t even be able to touch me, Andy,” Damon replied.

“Do you want to see if I can?” Andy shot back, beginning to approach him but Jeremy was quick to step in between them.

“Listen, I don’t like him anymore than you do, but now isn’t really the time,” Jeremy said, looking at Andy. She sighed and rolled her eyes, lowering the fire poker.

“So… this isn’t some sort of plot to get me to join a cult, is it?” Andy asked, looking over at her friends. “Because if it is, then that is so not cool. I think I’m gonna give it a hard pass this time.”

Elena stood to her feet and walked over to her sister. “Andy, listen… I know it’s a lot to process.”

Andy held up her hand. “I’m not a child. You don’t have to use kid gloves with me,” She pointed out, then looked over at Stefan. “I want answers to all of my questions. Now.”

“Okay,” Stefan nodded in agreement as he stood as well. Andy’s grip tightened on the fire poker as she watched him cautiously, not entirely trusting him, Caroline, or Damon yet. “That’s a good place to start. What do you want to know?”

* * *

By the time Andy had finished her line of questioning, she found herself staring down at the ground with a mixture of emotions. Vampire. Werewolves. Witches. A 500-year-old vampire that looked exactly like her twin sister and if Trevor was to be believed, then Andy was a doppelganger as well. Moreover, Elena was a part of some ritual to break the sun and moon curse on vampires and werewolves.

The information that hurt Andy the most was when Elena reluctantly explained that they were adopted. Apparently, they were the product of a relationship of John’s, their uncle, and their parents had adopted them after having trouble getting pregnant. Andy had always been close to John despite his general asshole persona, but she had loved her parents. Her family had been her everything, and then the two matriarchs were taken from them. All she could wonder was why Elena didn’t tell her this sooner.

Sitting there on the couch next to her brother, Andy did her best to sort out her feelings. She understood why she wasn’t told about the supernatural as before now they didn’t think she was involved in any way. Withholding information of their adoption did anger Andy a bit and was the main reason for her silence now.

“Say something, Andy,” Elena pleaded. Her brown eyes were filled with worry as she stared at her sister. She was afraid Andy would be angry with her and never speak to her again.

“Say what? That I like the fact you’re hanging out with vampires? More specifically, dating one?” Andy gestured to Stefan. “Because honestly, I don’t. I like Stefan and all, but the whole love thing is a bit set up for failure in my opinion.”

“Wow, tell us what you really think,” Caroline said, looking at Andy with a frown.

“I’m just telling her what I think,” Andy said as she stood to her feet. She began pacing. “I mean, this is all so weird. I was kidnapped and saw a man decapitate someone with his bare hands. One sweep and— _bam_ … Trevor was dead. And the fact that vampires can compel people to do what they want… it makes me wonder if a lot of things were real.” She threw a glance in Damon’s direction before stopping to fold her arms over her chest. “I think I’m in shock. Do you go numb all over when you’re in shock? Because I think I’m starting to go numb.”

“Andy, you’re not going into shock,” Damon said with a roll of his eyes.

“You’re a vampire. Do you even know what shock is? Or human emotion in general?” Andy replied, looking at him with a scowl.

“I think he’s just a defective model,” Caroline commented.

“You’re such a charmer, blondie. Must be why Matt likes you so much,” Damon replied sarcastically.

“Alright, just calm down,” Stefan said to his brother and Caroline before the two could get into another argument. He turned to look at Andy. “Is there anything else you’d like to ask?”

Andy hesitated a moment before she looked down at her wrist where the bracelet she had been wearing. “You said vervain stopped vampires from compulsion. Elijah took my bracelet and tossed it because he said it had vervain… but I didn’t always wear it,” She looked over at Damon then. “Did any of you ever compel me?”

Suddenly the air grew thick with tension as they all shifted uncomfortably. Andy stood there, staring at them in surprise as none of them wanted to respond. “Well, don’t grow shy now,” She said bitterly, holding up the fire poker. “Who did it? Was it Stefan or Damon? Or maybe Caroline finally got that sweet revenge from when I punched her freshman year?”

“You saw me feed on Caroline and snap Jeremy’s neck,” Damon answered finally, looking at her with a blank expression. “I needed to cover my tracks. It’s not that big of a deal.”

Andy stared back at him, her expression souring. “You did _what_?”

“It’s water under the bridge. Right guys?” Damon said as he looked over at the two wronged parties. They didn’t look like they agreed with him but remained silent. He turned and finished off his bourbon before beginning to pour another as if he had said he had gone to the store and bought soy milk rather than hurt the people she loved. Andy started to walk towards him with the fire poker and a scowl but Stefan quickly stood up and moved in her way. She wanted to knock some sense into his brother but Stefan apparently didn’t want that to happen.

“So is that why there were so many deaths? These animal attacks were all just you! Matt’s sister _died_ , Damon. And what, you can just sit there and act as if it wasn’t your fault! What kind of a monster do you have to be to take a human life?” Andy snapped, then looked over at Stefan in irritation. “Stefan, I’m not entirely happy with you right now, but if you don’t let me hit your brother you’re about to get to meet this fire poker as well.”

Damon turned to look at Andy, looking somewhat affected by her words but still didn’t go out of his way to apologize. “Listen, maybe you just need some more rest, okay?” Elena suggested as she walked over to Stefan and Andy. “We should get home anyways. I’m sure Jenna is wondering where we are. We can answer any questions you might have later.”

Andy sighed and tossed the fire poker off to the side, though was making a mental note to slip some vervain into Damon’s drink the next time he came to the Grill. That would give him an extra burn. She glowered at Damon before she nodded to Elena.

“Fine, but before we go I want you all to make me a promise. That you will never, ever compel me again nor have me compelled by another vampire… and that I get to help you all with solving this sun and moon curse issue,” Andy said. Elena began to argue with the second request but Andy was quick to cut her off. “Even if I didn’t wasn’t a doppelganger, I am your sister, Elena. Family doesn’t abandon one another when one of us is supposed to be sacrificed to an old ass ritual. For all we know I could be involved in this ritual as well. The moment we were kidnapped this became my business.”

Stefan and Caroline both agreed not to compel her, and Damon gave a half-hearted affirmation he wouldn’t. Elena, after a moment of looking at Andy, gave a sigh of her own. “Fine, but this might get violent. And if it does, then you have got to promise me you and Jeremy will back off.”

Andy rolled her eyes but decided she would take it. “Okay, I promise, but I’m not backing down so easily.”

“I’ll give you guys a ride home,” Damon offered.

Andy scoffed. “You’ve been drinking this past hour. No way in hell am I riding in a car with you.”

“I’m headed home as well,” Jeremy said, holding up his car keys. “We’ll be fine.”

“Well, I’d say if no vampires decide to make us their dinner we should be,” Andy said as she turned and began heading toward the door. “And that wasn’t an invitation to.”

Elena and Stefan exchanged a look of longing and sympathy before she turned and followed her siblings out the door. The car ride was mostly silent, with Andy gazing you the window thinking of everything she had experienced in the last twenty-four hours. While some of her anger towards Damon was fueled from her hurt from his rejection, she did feel genuinely upset that the Salvatores’ arrival to Mystic Falls had caused so much damage. Vicki had been turned but killed, Caroline had been turned but fortunately survived, Jeremy’s life was in danger because he was involved and so was Elena’s, though Andy thought that she would likely end up becoming a vampire at this rate. She wondered Elena’s opinions on becoming a vampire.

Andy’s thoughts turned to Katherine, and how they had said that was what drew Damon back to Mystic Falls in the first place. All because of his love for this woman. However, this woman had begun to cause even more destruction to the town than the Salvatores. Honestly, Andy hoped she never came face to face with her, not only because of the trippiness of the whole doppelganger thing, but she was a little scared of her. She was even scared of Damon, Stefan, and Caroline if she were honest. She had seen Elijah behead someone easily, and while he was apparently an Original, they had said heightened strength was a benefit.

She knew she had at least met Katherine once. Elena had explained it was Katherine at the masquerade ball the prior night, which was why Andy had noticed that Elena’s behavior was off. Still, the whole doppelganger concept made Andy wonder if it had been Katherine that she had seen kissing Damon and not Elena. If so, she wasn’t sure if she was relieved or hurt he still liked Katherine all this time as well. It at least made sense why Damon had been so focused on Elena originally.

By the time the Gilbert children made it home, Andy’s eyelids were already wanting to close. She felt like she was going through the motions as she made it inside the house to see Jenna was curled up on the couch.

“Hey! You guys are back. I was wondering where you and Elena had run off to last night. I never heard from you all,” Jenna said as Andy walked over to her and sat next to her. Andy leaned her head against Jenna’s shoulder to see her aunt was watching _Jersey Shore_. “Were you with a special someone last night?”

Andy remembered that Jenna had helped her get ready for the masquerade, and now she probably looked like a mess. “Elena and I crashed over at Bonnie’s and Caroline’s. Don’t worry, I didn’t consume any alcohol or the sort,” She explained, looking up at her aunt with a tired smile. “And that ‘special someone’ to whom you are referring is no longer special to me. He can fuck off.”

“Language,” Jenna said, though was fighting a smiling. “I’m glad to see Cupid decided to skip town. Makes me feel a lot less anxious about sending you to that masquerade with the not-so-special someone last night.”

As Jenna spoke, Andy thought about how Jenna had known about her and Elena’s adoption—which it would be hard to hide the fact you weren’t pregnant but now have twins from your sister—but she knew that Jenna would have told her if she had felt it was her place. However, Jenna did not know about vampires, and as Jenna was the person she would always speak to about her problems, she knew it was going to be a struggle not to spill the beans.

“I’m glad to hear Elena’s keeping you in line,” Jenna continued as Elena and Jeremy walked into the living room. Elena sat on Jenna’s other side while Jeremy plopped down next to Andy.

“Ugh, we’re watching this?” Jeremy questioned with a groan.

“Hey, it’s a train wreck which I happen to enjoy… and _Big Brother_ isn’t on right now,” Jenna said defensively.

“Jer, you need to stay up with the times,” Andy said, playfully nudging him with her elbow as she sat up. “We’re millennials. We’re supposed to consume this stuff like candy.”

“You know you won’t win an argument with them, Jer. They’ve been addicted to reality TV since _Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica_.” Elena said and chuckled when Jenna and Andy let out an excited gasp.

“We got to re-watch it!” Andy said.

“You’ve watched it a thousand times,” Jeremy said. “Can’t we watch something else? You like the 80s coming of age films. Let’s watch _Fast Times at Ridgemont High_ or _The Breakfast Club_.”

Jenna shook her head. “My birthday is the closest and I am the adult—”

“Are you an adult?” Andy interrupted. “I mean, your age would indicate you are, but you still like CapriSuns.”

“They’re good! And you drink them too, missy! So I don’t want to hear any judgment. Anyways, as the food provider and guardian, I decide… _Newlyweds_!” Jenna finished, playfully nudging Andy. “And your punishment is to pop some popcorn and get a CapriSun for all of us.”

“Oh, how will my poor ego handle this?” Andy replied sarcastically as she stood and walked toward the kitchen. “Having to hold a CapriSun will damage my reputation beyond repair.”

“Your ego will handle it the same way it did when you decided to cut your own hair after your dad told you couldn’t cut Elena’s stuffed animals’ hair without her permission,” Jenna said, causing Andy’s siblings to laugh.

“Your hair was like Tank Girl, remember? Dad used to call you that all the time,” Jeremy stated.

“Hey! We all have bad haircuts in our childhood,” Andy said as she grabbed the CapriSuns from the fridge. She turned and tossed one at Jeremy’s head, but missed it by a couple feet and nearly hit Jenna instead. “And if we’re talking haircuts, I think I saw an interesting one of you in tenth grade, Jenna. I think you have your high school yearbook upstairs, right?”

“If you even touch those yearbooks I will destroy our copies of _The Simple Life_ and _Fear Factor_.”

“That was a low blow, Jen. But I’ll let it slide this time.”

The four of them spent the rest of the evening, mostly reminiscing rather than paying attention to the TV. Eventually, Elena dozed off, and soon after Jenna and Andy followed, all three of them leaning on each other as pillows. Jeremy nearly woke them up, until he realized waking a sleeping Jenna and Andy would be disastrous. Instead, he went to bed himself, realizing how long it had been since the four of them had spent time together. It was an odd occurrence, but completely welcome considering he wasn’t sure what would happen with the sun and the moon curse.

**_~ •°•°•*~_ **


	5. Fear

**_Poison & Wine - Chapter V_ **

**_~ •°•°•*~_ **

_Andy found herself standing in a familiar dilapidated house with Elijah and Trevor standing in front of her. The two men were in the same position as last time, with Trevor looking at the ground and Elijah circling around him. Despite their lips moving, Andy couldn’t hear their words and only could hear a ringing sound echoing through her ears._

_Just as it had before, Andy watched in horror as Elijah decapitated Trevor. This time, however, as Elijah turned to face her his eyes were dark and fangs were protruding from under his lips. He stared at her with a blank expression. She wanted to run but it felt as her feet were glued to the ground. Elijah then lunged for her with a hiss._

Andy woke up to the sound of her alarm, causing to her jump up in fear. Glancing at the time, she was glad to see she wasn’t going to be late and had time to shower before school. She began going through the motions of getting ready for what she knew was going to be a long day.

The past few days had passed in a blur. She had worked at the Grill for most of it—surprisingly no appearance from Damon—and been going to school like any other teenager. She had seen Stefan around but hadn’t gotten a chance to speak to him. Caroline had avoided her like the plague and Bonnie had at least offered a hello and a smile. After finding out Bonnie was a witch, Andy didn’t want to get hexed so she had responded in kind as she wondered what exactly the witch was capable of.

After drying her hair, she curled it and before changing into a red and black flannel and a plain white tank top. She wore regular blue jeans and a pair of sneakers and put a little foundation on to cover the breakout on her face. _Yay for hormones_ , she thought begrudgingly as she grabbed her book bag and headed out of her room.

Jenna was probably already gone, but she heard Jeremy walking around in his room. She thought about asking if he needed a ride, but then remembered he had mentioned he was going to pick Bonnie up later and figured he wouldn’t want to look younger than he already was, at least in Bonnie's eyes. She had wondered what was going on between the two of them but also knew Jeremy would have told her if he wanted to. Perhaps she could ask Bonnie herself to make sure that Jeremy wasn’t being too weird

Andy had no clue if Elena was up, but she wanted to grab breakfast from a drive through before school and if she had to wait for Elena to get ready, then that was not going to happen. So, she quickly disappeared out the front door before she could get caught in a trap. To her dismay, as soon as she exited the house, she saw Damon was standing by her 2004 Mazda6. For a moment, she briefly considered running back into the house, but then remembered the breakfast plate that was calling her name at McDonald's. So she made her way to her car, looking at Damon with raised eyebrows and arms crossed over her chest.

“Damon,” Andy said as she stopped a few feet away from him, a bit upset he was blocking the driver’s side. Theoretically, she could try to climb over from the passenger’s side, but she had a feeling he would stop her if he wanted to. “Can you get out of my way so I can go to school?”

“I guess it depends on how this conversation goes,” Damon responded, a smile starting to curve on his lips. Andy, however, was not amused and rolled her eyes.

“I need to go to school then I have a shift at the Grill after. I don’t have the patience for this,” Andy stated. “And I’m hungry and if you make me miss the heavenly blessing that is McDonald's pancakes I’ll drive a stake in your dead heart myself.”

Damon made a disgusting face. “You actually like that crap?”

“You drink blood to survive. I don’t think you’re one to judge,” Andy reminded him, stepping closer to try to get him to move but he didn’t. “Damon—”

"I need to talk to you," He said, taking another step towards her this time. She leaned back, a bit uncomfortable at how close he had gotten.

“There’s nothing we need to have a chat about,” Andy said, glancing at her car longingly. Any more time wasted and her breakfast hopes would be dashed. What would Damon want to talk to her about? Elena? She sighed at the realization and rolled her eyes again. “You know what? If you want to be friends with Elena then fine, I’m not going to stop you. But I was serious when I said not to try any of your romance bullshit on her. She’s in love with Stefan, _your brother_.”

“You think I don’t know that?” Damon asked. “I wouldn’t do that to my brother. I know a bit better this time around, and I'm not in love with Elena.”

She shook her head. “You are a sad man, Damon. Well, this was a very informative conversation. I’ll catch you on the flip side.” She started to try to walk around him but he stopped her.

“I just wanted… I wanted to apologize, Andy.”

Andy now stood there staring at him in surprise. Damon Salvatore… _apologizing_? This certainly had to be some joke. “What for?” She prompted, not letting him get out of this easy.

“About leading you to believe my feelings were different than they were. About frequently ghosting you for reasons related to handling the supernatural here,” Damon said, surprisingly giving her no reluctance in his explanation. He looked a little annoyed that he was having to do this, which led Andy to believe he was urged to apologize. If she had to guess, it would probably have been Stefan's doing.

“Well, you’re not forgiven for the first thing, but for the second one I understand now,” She replied with a shrug. “You’re still an asshole and still on my shit list, especially because now I’m not going to be able to get breakfast.”

Damon reached in his pocket and held out a bracelet, the one he had given her a couple months back for Christmas. "My bracelet," She said, trying her best not to sound happy at seeing it. While she hated that it had come from him, she had loved the little charm of a compass on it. She hadn’t added any other charms to the bracelet yet. Still, the bracelet had vervain in it and it would help ease her mind about being compelled again.

“Thanks,” Andy said, going to slip the bracelet on but was unable to get a good grip with her right hand. He wordlessly grabbed the bracelet and helped her fasten it around her left hand. “Does it still have vervain in it or did you swap it out for a fake?”

“I figured you’d ask that,” Damon replied, reaching into his other pocket and producing a vial of vervain. “Here’s a little from my personal stash. Take it,” He passed it to her. “That way if any other Originals come snatching your bracelet you can’t be compelled. I’ll make sure you get more in the future.”

“…thanks,” She repeated, slipping the vial into her pocket. “I glad Jenna isn’t here. The neighbors probably already think you're my drug dealer.”

“Andy?” She turned to see Elena had just left the house and was watching Damon and Andy with an uncertain expression.

“Hey, do you need a ride?” Andy asked, glumly realizing she wouldn’t be able to grab breakfast before school without showing up late.

“Yeah, that’d be great,” Elena replied, throwing Damon a warning look as she crossed to the passenger side of the Mazda.

“See you around, Andy,” Damon said, finally stepping out of her way. Andy didn’t respond as she climbed into her car and quickly drove off with Elena.

“What did he want?” Elena asked out of curiosity.

“Oh, the usual Damon stuff. 'Forgive me, I made a mistake, blah blah blah,'” Andy answered with a roll of her eyes. “You just have to ignore it at some point or otherwise be dinner.”

* * *

School for Andy had gone smoothly. There was nothing out of the ordinary, other than the fact her encounters with Stefan and Caroline were somewhat awkward.

_Andy was heading back from lunch to her chemistry class, her earbuds in as she did her best to ward off a conversation with people who passed by. However, as she turned the corner, she came face to face with Caroline and Stefan, who were standing by a set of lockers. She nearly turned around or even continued walking past them, but they were looking right at her._ Shit _._

_Pulling one earbud out and giving them a forced smile, she greeted them. “Stefan. Caroline. Funny meeting you here.”_

_“Andy, I’m the same age as you. We both go to school here.” Caroline said, folding her arms over her chest._

_“That is curious indeed. If I were you, I’d peace out of the hell that is the public-school system,” Andy replied with a shrug. “But to each their own.”_

_“Caroline, can I talk to Andy alone for a moment?” Stefan asked._

_“Well, better make it quick. If I’m late to Chemistry one more time, Metzger said he’d make sure I’d have to stay the rest of the semester an hour later than everyone else. I don’t know if you know this, but I’m not exactly the best at science,” Andy had continued speaking even after Caroline nodded and walked off. Stefan turned to look at her with a sigh._

_“Listen, Andy. I understand it’s hard finding out your friends are vampires—”_

_“Who have killed people.”_

_“—but we’re not here to terrorize the town,” Stefan finished. “You and I have always gotten along before. I understand if you don’t want to trust me or Damon, but Caroline has been your friend all your life. Maybe giving her a chance and letting her show you that she’s good will help in coming to terms with it.”_

_Andy sighed and looked away from him. “Stefan, I don’t know what you might have done in the past, but I know Elena wouldn’t have messed with you if you weren’t ‘one of the good ones.’ And I know Caroline wouldn’t hurt a fly. Well, unless the fly ruined an event she planned. Anyways it’s not as if you all spoke to me before so I’m not sure why you guys are getting all upset that I’m not calling to tell you about my day or whatever it is you expect me to. And while I was scared the first couple days that Damon or you were going to come into my room in the middle of the night and kill me, I know that either of you wouldn’t do that to Elena. I’m not scared of you all, okay? So, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a class to get to.”_

Now, she was heading to her shift at the Grill. She enjoyed working there as much as anyone in food service could. She liked her co-workers, especially Matt, and people were generally nicer to workers here than at a fast food restaurant which was a small blessing. As she parked her car and waited to jog across the busy street, she suddenly got the feeling she was being watched. Her hair stood up on the back of her neck as she glanced around, doing her best not to freak out. She felt as if her gaze was being pulled in the direction of the bookshop, the Book Trader, a couple stores down from the Grill. She saw someone standing in the window looking in her direction, but it was too far away for her to make out the person. She squinted her eyes to see if she recognized the face but still couldn’t see well enough.

Andy glanced at her watch and saw she had five minutes to spare. The figure was still there so she calmly crossed the street as soon as the light indicated. By the time she got to the bookstore, she found it was empty save for the older man, Eldritch Barbee, behind the counter. The store smelled of vanilla flowers and almond, an oddly comforting smell for Andy.

“Ah, Andy. I haven’t seen you here in some time,” Eldritch said as he looked up from his book. Andy tensed up as she realized she hadn’t been here since before her parents died. They had always brought her and her siblings here for a new book every couple of weeks to keep them reading new material. This bookstore only sold used books, and their parents had always been huge about recycling. Still, as she looked through the large stacks of books and the shelves that were parallel to her, she didn’t see anyone in there. “How are you doing? Are you looking for anything specific?”

“I’m, uh, okay. And no… I’m not looking for anything specific,” Andy replied as she began to walk through the store. She reached the end of the store, but she still couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching her. There was no exit back there and she had watched the store the entire time and saw no one leave. She walked back to the front of the store and glanced out the windows, but saw no one looking in her direction. She turned to Eldritch. “Excuse me, Mr. Barbee. Was there someone in here just now?”

“Well, there was a man. He was just here, but I didn’t see him leave,” Mr. Barbee replied, glancing around his store in confusion.

“What did he look like?”

“I remember he was a bit older and didn’t say too much, but bought a book about Salem… Andy, is there something wrong? Do you know the man?” Mr. Barbee looked back at her in concern but she shook her head.

“No, nothing’s wrong. Thank you. I gotta get to work,” She said, waving goodbye as she walked toward the door. The description was so generic that she wasn’t certain who it was. She didn’t know anyone who would have been wearing a suit on a Tuesday, but it might have been a vampire. As she walked fast to her work, she wondered if it was worth telling Elena. She wasn’t certain if it was a vampire and it very likely might have just been her nerves. The last thing she wanted was to cry wolf, but a part of her was still worried. She texted Elena a recap on what happened and was met with a reply that someone would come to the Grill to keep an eye on things.

Andy’s shift at the Grill had started relatively normal, to the point where she had nearly forgotten the unsettling feeling of eyes on her. That was until Damon walked into the Grill and took a seat at one of the booths rather than at the bar. Andy approached him with an eyebrow raised.

“You’re my protection detail?” She asked him skeptically. She wasn’t entirely happy to see him, after all, she didn’t quite trust him after he had admitted to compelling her and snapping Jeremy’s neck. However, he had apologized and while she wasn't sure it was sincere, she didn’t want to get kidnapped again because she didn’t want to see him. A part of her was angry with Elena for allowing Damon to compel her, but at the same time, she figured she could deal with that once she knew Elena wasn’t going to be killed.

Damon was looking at the menu and gave her a fake smile. “Would you prefer potentially being kidnapped again?”

“No, dickhead. I expected Caroline to drop in, not for you to sit down and eat a feast. Don’t you have better things to do? Like making sure my sister isn’t made into a sacrificial lamb?”

“Did you just call a paying customer a ‘dickhead’? Am I going to have to file a complaint with your manager?” Damon replied.

Andy rolled her eyes, unable to help the smile curving on her lips. “Right, because my manager is your number one fan after you flirted with his girlfriend.”

“The heart wants what it wants.” Andy gazed into his icy orbs and felt a part of her ache. However, the rejection from the other night came back to her mind and that familiar sting followed. She knew she preferred knowing his true feelings now, but she couldn’t help being a little upset that he had been willing to lead her on in the first place.

Clearing her throat, she looked back down at her pen and pad. “Uh, anyway… what food does your heart want now? Or do you need more time?”

* * *

By the end of Andy’s shift, she was ready to go home. Damon had been there all night and surprisingly not drank that much. When she had finished cleaning, Damon was waiting for her just outside of the Grill.

“Remind me why you work here again? Aren’t you guys pretty well off?” Damon asked as she approached him. “I mean, the Quarterback I get, but it’s not like your parents were no-shows. Your dad was a doctor with his own practice.”

Andy rolled her eyes. “If you mention my parents to me again I’ll throw some vervain on you and laugh in your face,” She stated as she turned to start walking toward her car. “And I work here because it’s better than sitting around drawing in my notebooks. I’m not exactly involved in any after school activities.”

“Ah right. I forgot you weren’t a cheerleader anymore,” Damon smirked over at her.

For a moment, Andy nearly replied with a witty remark until she remembered the reality of their lives. It was so easy for her to slip back into her friendship with Damon. She wished she could, but she still wasn’t sure what to feel about the fact vampires were real. She was still upset with him for compelling her and she wouldn’t let him forget that what he did was wrong.

“Don’t you have somewhere else to be, Damon?” Andy asked as they crossed the empty street. “I mean, clearly I’m not in danger. Surely there was some maiden elsewhere for you to run off to save.”

“No, I don’t.”

Andy glanced over at him to see he was looking at her and she quickly turned her head forward again. “Oh. Well, I’m tired and have some stuff to do for my English class so I’m heading home. Mrs. Poorman isn’t entirely forgiving if we don’t have our homework done on time and I refuse to wake up even earlier just to get it done.”

“You know I could just compel her to stop giving you homework.” Damon offered as they got to her car.

“You could, but I would never wish someone else to have their mind messed with,” Andy said, stopping to look at him.

Damon sighed and looked away. “Right. Forget I said anything.”

“I typically try to forget anyway,” Andy said dryly as she unlocked her car and tossed her phone into the passenger seat. As she went to get into her car, she paused and looked up at him reluctantly. “Uh, by the way… Thanks for the Secret Service detail, Damon. Even if you’re still an ass, your presence was somewhat reassuring I wasn’t going to get my throat torn out.”

“What did you even see anyway?” He asked her curiously.

“I don’t know myself,” She admitted reluctantly. “I felt like someone was watching me. When I looked around I saw someone looking at me from the window of the Book Trader. They looked familiar but I just couldn’t see them. When I went in, Mr. Barbee, the store owner, told me a man was just in there. He wasn’t really a good witness; all he could offer was that the man was older, didn’t talk too much, and bought a book on Salem, presumably Massachusetts but we are in Virginia so maybe that Salem.”

“Huh,” Damon looked over at the bookstore, a furrow in his brow. “If you ever feel that way again or see anything, you need to let us know. We know you’re a doppelganger now as well and don’t know if you’re needed for breaking this sun and moon curse.”

“Yes, not dying would be wonderful,” Andy said with a tired smile as she climbed into her car. She hesitated before closed her car door, rolling down the window to bid him goodnight. “Goodnight, Damon.”

“Goodnight, Andy.”

**_~*•°•°•*~_ **


	6. The Devil Inside

**_Poison & Wine - Chapter VI_ **

**_~*•°•°•*~_ **

_“_ _A little more dearest, a little more. Push.... a little more. A little more. A little more. Push!” Andy was holding Elena’s hand as she laid on a bed, a woman at the end of the bed. Elena was wearing a white gown that was pulled up and her legs were spread out. Her torso was swollen with child and she cried out in pain. Turning her head, Andy saw an older man by the door, watching with a scowl. Andy turned back to Elena and did her best to ignore the pain in her hands from how tightly Elena was gripping her hand. But was it Elena? As she looked closer, she couldn’t pick out specific details in the furniture or the faces of the woman or the man. Was she dreaming again?_

_“Katerina, you need to push,” Andy said, putting a hand on Elena’s shoulder. Katerina? Wasn’t that what Rose called Katherine?_

_Elena gave one more scream as she pushed. Suddenly a cry filled the air as the woman at the end of the bed lifted the child. “It’s a girl,” She announced._

_Elena was watching with a small smile as she reached out. “A girl. Please, mother, let me see her.” As the woman went to hand Elena the baby, the man at the door came charging over._

_“Woman, don't! What are you doing?” He demanded. The woman quickly handed the baby to him._

_“Let me at least hold her once... just once,” Elena pleaded._

_“Father, please! It is your granddaughter,” Andy said, standing to her feet._

_“This is no kin of mine!” The man scowled at the twins as he backed away from them. “Forget it! Your sister has disgraced this family, and you have for standing with her!”_

_As he left the room with the baby, Elena began crying and screaming. “Father, please! No, father, no!”_

_“No Katerina, it's better for her! It's better for her!” The woman who had helped with the birth said as she rushed over. She embraced Elena as the girl continued crying._

_“No mother, please… mama…”_

_“Let her go... let her go, Katerina.”_

“Andy, _wake up_.”

Blinking, Andy came face to face with Elena. She jumped in surprise and nearly collided foreheads with her sister, but Elena jumped back at the last second. “What? Elena, what are you doing in my room?” She demanded as she looked over at her sister. Elena was dressed and standing by her bed with her arms crossed over her chest. “Or do you not remember the ‘Do Not Enter’ sign I made when we were twelve?”

“Stefan called me,” Elena said with an amused look. “He said it was important, so we need to head over there before school. I forgot that waking you up was as hard as getting you to stick to that vegetarian diet.”

“Sorry that I can’t give up shrimp and meatloaf. And ugh, at seven in the morning?” Andy groaned as she swung her legs out of the bed. “This is the last time I agree to help you with the supernatural drama. If an ancient curse that calls for you ever happens again, just let me sleep.”

Elena shook her head with a smile on her lips. “I’ll be waiting downstairs, okay?”

Andy watched as her twin left the room, closing the door behind her. With a sigh, she stood and walked over to her dresser. She quickly got ready, electing to just wear her hair in a ponytail today instead of bothering with a straightener or curler. By the time Andy had made it downstairs, Elena was waiting with a coffee in a travel mug and looked a bit nervous.

“You okay?” She asked Elena as they headed for the door.

“It’s all a bit surreal, I guess. I still don’t even feel like this is all happening,” Elena replied with a sigh. “I hate you got pulled into this all, but with us not knowing if you’re connected to this curse it is for the better. Plus, it’s easier than sneaking around you again. I shouldn’t have let Damon compel you. I didn’t want you to get involved and hurt more.”

“It’s better I know,” Andy assured her as they started their journey to the Salvatore’s. “I think eventually we should tell Jenna, especially if this whole curse thing escalates even more. I know sometimes ignorance is bliss, but if more vampires who aren’t as friendly as Stefan come into town over this, it’s for the best we just let her in on the secret. She’ll be better prepared that way.”

Elena sighed again. “You’re right. But until we know more about what is going on it’s better to wait.”

“Okay. We’ll wait until we know more, but others might not wait that long,” Andy pointed out. The rest of their car ride was quiet and once they arrived at the Salvatore’s, they were greeted by Damon at the door.

“Hello, Elena. Hello, Andy,” Damon said, looking between both of them with a smile.

Elena looked back in slight annoyance. “Is Stefan here? He called. He said it was important.”

Andy looked over at her sister in curiosity, wondering why she had become so curt with Damon. Before she could think on it further, Damon gestured inside and stepped out of the doorway. “Right this way,” He said.

Stefan walked into the foyer as soon as Andy and Elena had walked in and greeted them. “Hey. I was getting worried.”

“What is this about? Important vampy stuff?” Andy guessed as she turned toward Stefan.

Rose then walked in, causing Andy and Elena to stiffen. “You,” Elena breathed.

“Why is our kidnapper here?” Andy asked, looking at the Salvatores in slight worry. “I mean, no offense, but you definitely deserve an ass-kicking for trying to pawn us off on some crazy psycho who goes around beheading his enemies from over five hundred years ago.”

“I’m here to help,” Rose replied, then looked over at Elena. “I know information about the Sun and the Moon curse. Right now, that’s more than any of you have.”

“Okay then let’s hear what you know,” Elena said with a nod. Stefan walked into the living room with Rose and Elena reluctantly following.

Andy sighed as she followed behind them. “Oh, how _convenient_ she knows the stuff we have no leads for. Well, if she tries grabbing one of us and splitting then it is so not my fault.”

“Don’t worry. You’re not the one I’d go for. Too mouthy,” Rose replied as she turned around to look at Andy.

Andy scoffed. “Are you kidding me? It was Elena who was bravely facing you and Trevor down while I cowered in the corner. Besides, I’m obviously much more entertaining. I'm like a personal untuned radio when I'm not cowering in the corner for my life.”

“Can we get this thing going?” Elena asked. “We really don’t have time to be dallying.”

Andy held up her hands in defense while Rose sighed. She looked over at Elena as she began speaking. “Okay, you have to understand I only know what I've picked up over the years and I don't know what's true and what's not true. It's the problem with all this vampire crap but Klaus, I know he's real.”

At hearing the name, Andy felt as if it sounded familiar to her, but she couldn’t place it. Elena questioned before she could. “Who is he?”

“He's one of the originals. He's a legend,” Damon answered.

“From the first generation of vampires.” Stefan elaborated.

“Like Elijah?” Andy asked.

“No. Elijah was the Easter bunny compared to Klaus. He's a foot soldier. Klaus is the real deal,” Rose said. However, from what Andy had seen, somehow, she didn’t think he was just a foot soldier. He had acted as if Trevor’s and Rose’s betrayal had been personal to him. There was the weird dream she had that featured Elijah dressed in an older style than the 1500s. Of course, she hadn’t mentioned that to anyone, but it had more to do with the fact that she definitely didn’t want to admit she had a weird ass dream about a man she saw easily behead another.

“Klaus is known to be the oldest,” Stefan said.

“Okay, so you're saying that the oldest vampire in the history of time is coming after me? Potentially Andy as well?” Elena asked, glancing over at her sister.

Rose nodded as she answered. “Yes.”

“No,” Stefan countered, looking at Rose in annoyance.

“What they're saying is, I mean if what she's saying is true—” Damon began.

“Which it is,” Rose interjected with her own look of irritation.

“—And you're not saying it so I don't kill you—”

“ _Which I'm not_.”

“—Then we're looking at a solid maybe,” Damon said. “Good news is that if he does, it’d just be for you, Elena. Apparently, Andy will have nothing to do with the curse.”

Andy looked over at Rose. “How do you know that?”

“Katerina had a twin sister named Milena. Klaus executed her before Katerina was even found out to be a vampire from my understanding. Presumably, he would not have killed her if he had needed her for the ritual as well,” Rose explained. “Of course, it isn’t concrete. My source was a maid who had to clean up the mess.”

“Great,” Andy sighed, looking over at Elena with a tired look. “Looks like I might be joining you on the grill, sis. Maybe this can be a bonding experience. To think, we might be able to break the curse for a bunch of bloodsuckers and… meat-eaters? I don’t know, what do werewolves even eat?”

“Look, Elijah's dead, right? So, no one else even knows that you both exist,” Stefan said, trying to assure them.

“Not that you know of,” Rose pointed out.

“That's not helping,” Damon said.

Stefan turned to look back at the twins. “Look, I've never even met anyone who's laid eyes on him. I mean, we're talking centuries of truth mixed with fiction. We don't know if he's real. For all we know he could just be some sort of stupid bed time story.”

“He's real and he doesn't give up. If he wants something, he gets it. If you're not afraid of Klaus, then you're an idiot,” Rose said.

“Alright, we're shaking. You made your point,” Damon replied dryly.

Elena stood up and Andy followed her suit, assuming that her sister would probably want to go to school now. By this time they would be late, which wasn’t anything new for Andy. “Where are you guys going?” Stefan asked them.

“School. We're late,” Elena answered as they headed toward the door.

“Let me grab my stuff, I'll go with you,” Stefan offered.

“It's okay, I know where it is,” Elena said, causing Andy to look at her sister in surprise. Apparently, things weren’t as rosy between Elena and the Salvatores as she had thought. The hug Elena gave Stefan when saved they had been saved could have fooled Andy.

“Are you okay?” Andy asked as she jogged to catch up with Elena’s fast walk. “I know I’m not a relationship expert, but I could always sit here and listen if you want to complain about anything. I’m a good listener when I put my mind to it.”

“There’s not much worth going into right now,” Elena said as they climbed into her car. She sat there for a moment while Andy watched her in silent concern.

“Hey, uh, Elena, not to rush you or anything but you have to start the car for it to move,” Andy teased.

Elena silently turned on the car and began driving. “There’s one person who will know more than Rose. Rose wasn’t a confidant of Klaus or whoever else was trying to break the curse. There was one person involved directly that we can get information from.”

Andy looked at her in confusion. “Such as?”

“If we do this, Stefan or Damon can’t know. They’d tried to stop us because they would deem it unsafe,” Elena continued.

“Well before I agree I’d like to know what the hell it is I’d be agreeing to,” Andy pointed out. “I’m not sure if I trust where this is going, sis.”

“Katherine. Remember we told you she’s locked up in a tomb? She’s our only source right now.”

Andy scoffed. “Wait, ask the person who has done so much shit to you already? You know she’s going to ask for _something_. There’s no guarantee she’ll even be honest.”

“I can bribe her. I won’t promise her release. She’s the last person I want running around,” Elena said. “Please, Andy. This is the only lead we have. Otherwise, we’ll be playing the waiting game without knowing what exactly is coming.”

Andy studied her sister’s face for a moment. Elena was determined and was going to do this with or without her help. Andy knew that if she went that perhaps she could find out a little more about this Milena woman she looked like. While Rose mentioned she was dead, Andy couldn’t deny the opportunity didn’t sound attractive.

“Fine. What’s the plan then?”

* * *

“Tell everyone I wasn't feeling well and I went home from school,” Elena said as she walked in between Andy and Caroline through the woods. They were on their way to go see Katherine with the items they needed to bribe the vampire.

“And tell them I drove her home then probably went to the local Hot Topic to look for some more t-shirts,” Andy added.

Caroline shook her head. “I can't believe I'm agreeing to this. I'm a _terrible_ liar.”

“Keep Stefan busy. I don't want him to know what I'm up to,” Elena said, looking over at Caroline with a stern look.

“I'm even worse at duplicity and you know this. Why can’t Andy keep him busy?” Caroline suggested.

“Because why would I hang out with Stefan? Sure, he and I are cool, but we aren’t exactly besties. Damon will be busy with that Rose, so my job is to make sure Elena doesn’t do anything stupid,” Andy replied.

Elena nodded. “Besides, you managed to keep me occupied when Katherine paid Stefan a visit.”

“Yeah, because she threatened me. Not that I'm saying that you should use that as a tactic, it's... Stefan's gonna see right through me,” Caroline complained.

Elena stopped walking and turned to the blonde. “Caroline, as my friend, do you promise or not?”

“You had to break out the girlfriend code. Okay. I promise,” Caroline said determinedly.

“Okay,” Elena said, somewhat relieved as they all began heading toward the church ruins they were approaching.

“Why don't you want Stefan to know?” Caroline asked curiously.

“Because he would never be okay with me doing this,” Elena pointed out as they went under the church ruins. They stopped in front of the tomb's door.

“Are you sure you two want to do this?” Caroline questioned as she looked in between them.

“Yes, I'm sure. She's the only one who knows the truth about Klaus. The only one who can tell me how to stop him,” Elena said, looking at the door.

Caroline sighed. “But you're asking for the truth from someone who's probably never giving it. Are you sure about this?”

“Yeah. I can't just sit back and wait. I have to know, Caroline. Please,” Elena pleaded with her friend. After a moment, Caroline went towards the door and opened it. “Katherine?” Elena called out into the darkness before looking at Caroline. “We’ll be okay from here.”

They heard the scuffling of feet getting closer to them. Andy turned and peered into the darkness until finally, a dirtied version Elena appeared from the darkness. She wore the dress that Elena had been wearing the night of the masquerade—no, it had been her at the party that night. Her hair was frizzy and matted. Her skin was pale and ashy with veins easily traceable by the eye. Andy couldn’t help but stare back at the woman in surprise before looking at Elena. They really did look exactly alike.

“Hello, Elena. You come to watch me wither away? I see you brought your sister. Hi, Andy. It’s nice to see you again,” Katherine’s voice was dry and scratchy. It almost looked as if it actually pained her to speak. Katherine looked at Andy for a second before turning her head to look at Caroline. “Goodbye Caroline.”

“As long as we stay on this side of the door, she can't hurt me. Please,” Elena pleaded. Caroline looked at Elena and Katherine nervously before looking at Andy. Andy did her best to give a confident nod to let her know she wouldn’t let Elena do anything stupid. Caroline then turned and disappeared.

“Stefan know you two are here?” Katherine questioned.

“I brought you some things,” Elena said.

Katherine narrowed her eyes at them. “You came to bribe me? What is it that you want?”

“We’ll ask the questions around here,” Andy said. Both women glanced up at her. “Hey, sometimes bad-cop-bad-cop tactics can work.”

Elena turned back to Katherine. “I want you to tell me about Klaus.”

Katherine smiled smugly, which further unnerved Andy. How could this woman look so much like her sister and not act like her in the slightest? “Hmm, you've been busy,” Katherine observed. “Glad that you finally told Andy about everything. I know she probably felt so left out especially because she has the hots for dear old Damon.”

Andy scowled at the vampire. “Okay, D. Phil. We didn’t ask for your opinion.”

“I also brought you this,” Elena said as she took an old book from the bag. “It's your family history. It says in here that the family line ended with you and your sister Milena. Obviously, that's not true.”

Katherine eyed the book for a few moments before looking back up at them. “You think that if you brought me some family keepsake that I'd open up?”

“I also brought you this,” Elena said as she took a bottle of blood from the bag and showed it to Katherine. Katherine rushed over towards Elena but she couldn’t get out because of the spell. The abrupt movement made Andy jump back in fear, not realizing how far the barrier went. It was nice to know. “You don't look so good. How long before your body shuts down? Ten, twenty years? It must be painful to desiccate and mummify. I can't even imagine.”

Katherine sat down on the floor. Elena followed suit and sat down. She put some blood in a glass on the ground and pushed it towards her with a stick. Katherine took the glass and drank it, causing Andy to scrunch her nose up. Still, she watched in surprise as Katherine’s skin instantly regained some of its colors. “You have the Petrova fire,” Katherine commented.

“More blood?” Andy replied dryly as she took a seat further back than Elena did but still where she could easily watch the two. She decided to let Elena lead the questioning as she genuinely didn’t even know where to begin.

Katherine put the glass on the floor. Elena took it. “It's a long story, Klaus and me. It goes all the way back to England, 1492, after my sister and I left Bulgaria. Or was thrown out,” Katherine began as Elena refilled the glass.

Elena passed Katherine more blood. “Thrown out?” She questioned.

“My family, your true ancestors, they disowned me. My indiscretions were not tolerated at that time. I had a baby out of wedlock. The shame,” Katherine explained with a roll of her eyes before taking another sip.

“It was kept a secret?” Elena assumed, looking in surprise at Katherine.

“Mhmm. My baby was given away. I was banished to England and my _noble_ sister decided that she would follow me despite her not doing anything wrong but stand by my side. We had to learn to adjust. So, we quickly became English. It was there that we caught the eye of a nobleman named Klaus. I was taken with him at first, ‘til I found out what he was and what he wanted from me. And then I ran like hell.”

_Katherine was running in the woods until she accidentally tripped over a branch. Hearing footsteps she quickly hid behind a tree and did her best to hold her breath as she heard Elijah call out. “She's here… Katerina! I know you're near, I can smell your blood. It's pointless to run, Klaus will find you wherever you are.”_

_Trevor quickly rushed up to Elijah and his men, pointing in the opposite direction. “This way. There is more blood over there,” He told Elijah._

_When Katherine heard them move far enough away, she tried to leave only to be suddenly pinned against the tree. Trevor had put a finger over her mouth. “Head east. I can't lead them astray anymore,” He instructed._

_“I can't run anymore,” Katherine said breathlessly._

_Trevor paused in thought for a moment before nodding. “Never mind. There's a cottage. You'll be safe there. Go now. Go!”_

“Good story but you didn’t say what Klaus wanted,” Andy pointed out from her.

“The same thing that he'll want from your sister. He wants to break the curse. You aren’t the smart one, huh?” Katherine taunted. Andy started to speak up but Elena interrupted.

“By sacrificing the Petrova doppelgänger,” She said.

Katherine looked back at Elena. “He wanted to drain every single drop of blood from my body,” She downed the rest of the blood before sliding it across the ground to Elena.

As Elena refilled the glass Andy watched Katherine closely. “What does this Petrova blood line have to do with Klaus anyway? Why can’t they target like, I don’t know, a Hilton?” Elena slid the glass over to Katherine again.

“It's really tedious but...” Katherine downed the rest of the blood before she crushed the cup. She had regained most of her color now but was still looking just like she was stuck in the tomb. “The curse was bound by the sacrifice of Petrova blood. Witches are crafty with their spells. The doppelgänger was created as a way to be able to undo the spell. Once the doppelgänger reappeared, the curse can be broken.”

“So you ran before he killed you?” Elena guessed.

Katherine looked down for a moment. “Something like that.”

_Katherine had been running for so long she thought she would have never reached the cottage. It only further made her more afraid, thinking of her sister who she had left behind. Just as she was ready to give up, she saw the cottage and a huge amount of adrenaline hit her. She practically lunged at the door as she pounded on the door._

_“Help, please help me,” She called, hoping that it wasn’t loud enough to draw other attention. After a second an old woman opened the door. “Please, help me.”_

_“I don't invite strangers into my home.”_

_“No, Trevor. He said that you'd help me,” Katherine said desperately, glancing over her shoulder to make sure no one was behind her._

_“Damn him. Always making promises I don't want to keep,” Katherine heard another woman say. The new voice emerged next to the old woman and glanced Katherine up and down. “Let the girl in.”_

_Katherine entered quickly and closed the door behind her. Rose went over to the old woman and compelled her. “Bring her water and something to eat.”_

_“You must be Rose. Thank you. Trevor said to show you this,” Katherine said to her as she produced the moonstone. “To prove I am who I say and that you'd help me to freedom.”_

_Rose’s expression was suddenly one of fear. “You stole this from Klaus?”_

_“It was to be part of the sacrifice ritual, so I grabbed it and made my escape,” Katherine explained._

_“People do not escape from Klaus. Everyone who tries ends up back in his grasp and anyone who helps them dies,” Rose said in worry._

_“I know the risk you bring on yourself by giving me aid.”_

_“_ I'm _risking nothing. At nightfall, I'll bring you back to Klaus and beg him to show us both mercy,” Rose said, catching Katherine Katherine by the wrist and pushing her into the bedroom as Katherine cried out in fear._

“Rose never ended up taking you back to Klaus, did she?” Elena questioned.

Katherine shook her head. “No, but not because she had a change of heart.”

_Later that night, Rose entered the room in which she was holding Katherine. Katherine was on a bed. “It's nightfall. Time to go,” Rose said before the scent of blood hit her nose. She grabbed Katherine’s hand and saw that her torso was bloodied. “When did this happen?”_

_“In the woods, I tripped,” Katherine said, hoping Rose would buy it._

_“It's a lie, I would have smelled it,” Rose said before she saw a knife in Katherine’s other hand. She quickly took it away._

_“I'd rather die than go back to Klaus. Please, just let me die,” Katherine pleaded._

_“If you die then Trevor dies with you,” Rose said, biting her wrist and putting it in Katherine's mouth, forcing her to drink the blood. Her wounds healed just as Trevor entered the cottage._

_“No. No!” Katherine said, though now she knew it would be possible for her to escape._

_“Where is she?” Trevor called out. Rose quickly rushed out of the room. Hearing they were distracted, Katherine quickly took the rope she had tied up while she was alone and set it up. If this was the only way for her to escape death, then so be it._

“You killed yourself?!” Elena demanded in shock. Even Andy was watching Katherine with a horrified expression.

“Klaus needed a human doppelgänger. As a vampire, I was no longer any use to him,” Katherine explained.

“But it didn't work. You didn't really escape, you've been running from Klaus ever since,” Elena pointed out to her.

“I underestimated his spirit for vengeance but living in a suitcase is better than dying so you can have your blood spilled over some silly little rock,” Katherine replied. Elena looked ill at ease. Andy scooted closer to her sister and put a hand on her shoulder. “What's wrong? Afraid I'm right? You don't want to die? There's another way out,” She cut her wrist with her nail, letting blood drip out. “Better hurry. Your opportunity is going, going, going and _gone_ …” The cut healed and Andy swallowed nervously. “I made the other choice.”

_Katherine woke up in the cottage and was immediately greeted by Trevor. “What did you do, Katerina? I would have helped you live,” He said,_

_Katherine looked at him evenly. “You would have helped me run. That was never going to be enough.”_

_“It was enough for_ me _,” Trevor replied wearily._

_“Do you not see, Trevor? She used you to help her escape and me to turn her,” Rose explained, looking at Katherine with a glare. “Klaus will see our role in this.”_

_“And for that I'm sorry.”_

_“As am I… for this,” Rose said before she rushed over to Katherine with a stake but Katherine grabbed the old lady and pulled her in front of herself for protection. Rose staked the old lady on the shoulder._

_Katherine drank the old lady's blood before looking up at them. “Please understand.”_

_“You have just signed our death sentence,” Rose said in horror._

_“Better you die than I.”_

Andy looked at Katherine in horror. “Rose and Trevor spent the last five hundred years running because you used them. Trevor just got his head knocked off because of _you_.”

Katherine looked almost impressed. “I never thought he would last that long.”

“You don't even care that you ruined their lives,” Elena said.

Katherine rolled her eyes. “I was looking out for myself, Elena. I will always look out for myself. If you're smart, you'll do the same.” Katherine turned away and opened the Petrova book.

They remained silent for a moment before Andy spoke up. “Where was your sister in all of this? You mentioned she went with you to England,” She pointed out. Katherine didn’t turn to face them again as she spoke.

“Milena… Well, someone had to distract Klaus,” She answered reluctantly. “She was adamant she’d be safe but when Klaus found out she was the distraction… He wasn’t exactly kind with her punishment. From what I heard, she made a nice dinner for him.”

“Why can’t my blood be used for the spell? If Elena can be used because she’s a Petrova doppelganger, then, why can’t I?” Andy questioned.

“If I had to guess it was our blood that was used in the spell originally, not the other doppelganger. Otherwise, Klaus would have used her in the ritual instead of me,” Katherine replied.

“So how much of your little story is true?” Elena asked.

Katherine looked back over at Elena finally. “I have no reason to lie, Elena. I have no reason to do anything but sit here and read and rot.”

“Okay, assuming it's even partially true, that's the reason why you came back, isn't it? Because you wanted to be the one to hand me over to Klaus,” Elena pointed out.

“Five hundred years on the run, I figured maybe he'd be willing to strike a deal.”

“So you got Mason Lockwood to find you the moonstone.”

“Right again.”

“What else do you need to break the curse?” Elena prompted.

“Hmm, look who is getting smarter,” Katherine said, almost looking impressed.

“It's not just me or the stone, is it? Otherwise, there would be no reason to trigger Tyler Lockwood's werewolf curse,” Elena realized. Andy sat forward, not liking where this was going.

“Witches and their spells: so many ingredients, so many people to sacrifice…”

“So you need a werewolf?” Andy asked. She hadn’t even known Tyler was a werewolf, but now was thinking it made sense with his anger issues.

“Believe it or not, they're hard to come by,” Katherine stated dryly.

“What else?”

Katherine exhaled. “A witch to do the spell. Mine bailed but Bonnie will do just fine.”

“ _What else?_ ”

“A vampire.”

“Caroline…” Elena realized in horror.

“It could have been anyone I suppose but I like the poetry of Caroline. I suppose it would have even been more poetic had the other doppelganger been used though,” Katherine said.

“So you were gonna just hand us all over to be killed?” Elena asked.

Katherine looked straight at Elena and held her gaze for a couple of moments.  “Better you die than I.” With that, she stood and slowly disappeared into the darkness of the tomb.

“Suddenly I’m glad my other doppel-self is dead,” Andy commented. Elena looked into the darkness for a moment longer. Andy squeezed her shoulder in comfort. “Hey, I don’t think we’re going to get any more answers. Maybe Damon dug something up with Rose?”

Elena nodded. “Yeah, you’re right.”

They picked up the bottle of blood and put it into the bag. Just as they turned to leave, Stefan came rushing around the corner.

“Elena. Andy,” Stefan said, looking at them in worry.

“Stefan, what are you doing here?” Elena asked. Andy looked down, feeling awkward being in this exchange.

“I could ask you the same question,” Stefan stated.

Elena sighed. “Caroline told you.”

“No, she kept your secret but it didn't take long for me to figure out what was so important that you'd have to keep it from me,” He crossed his arms.

“I knew that you'd stop us,” Elena told him.

Stefan pointed into the tomb. “Listen to me, whatever she said to you is a lie. Do not listen to her. She's a liar, Elena.”

“What if she isn't? You didn't hear what she said,” Elena pointed out.

“She did help in her own twisted way,” Andy spoke up, causing Stefan to look over at her for a second. He sighed and shook his head.

“You don't have to worry, I'm not gonna let anything happen to either of you,” He promised.

“That's the problem, you won't but you'll die trying. How's that any better?” Elena asked him.

“There's nothing you can do, Stefan,” Katherine said as she emerged from the darkness again. “I haven't even told you the best part of the story.”

_Katherine arrived at her parents' home. Outside the lawn was covered with dead bodies of the servants. She ran and entered the home, only to come to the horrific discovery of her father and mother dead. She rushed over to her. She cried over her mother's body and cradled it close to her._

_“No, no, no, mama. No!”_

“He killed them, my entire family, just to get back at me for running,” Katherine said. “Whatever you do to escape Klaus, he will get his vengeance on your friends, your family and anyone that you've ever loved.”

Stefan looked at Elena. “No, look at me. No, do not listen to her, okay?”

“Always the protector but even you must realize that she's doomed. There's nothing you can do to stop it unless of course, you have this,” Katherine held up the moonstone.

“What?” Andy asked.

“Oh no, there it is. It's the ultimate lie, isn't it? You spun this whole thing so that we would have to get the stone from you, didn't you?” Stefan said, turning to Katherine with a scowl.

Katherine shook her head. “I didn't spin anything, Stefan. It's the truth.”

“No, let me guess. You want to trade that stone for your freedom, you manipulative, psychotic bitch,” Stefan spat.

“My freedom? That's where you’re wrong, Stefan. I don’t want my freedom because when Klaus shows up to kill us all and he will, I'll be in the tomb, where no vampire will enter because they can't get out. I'll be the safest psychotic bitch in town.” Katherine looked back at Elena and Andy before she turned and retreated once again into the darkness.

“Uh, well, I suppose we should be off then, huh?”

* * *

When they got back home with Stefan following behind them, Andy was slowly feeling the effects of the day. Stefan and Elena walked side by side while Andy walked in front of them.

“Uh, so I’m gonna head on in,” And called over her shoulder. She was getting the vibe that they wanted to speak alone and she really didn’t want to have to sit and listen to them argue. “Night Stefan!” She quickly unlocked the door and walked inside.

“Hey! How’d your day go?” Jenna called as she appeared at the top of the stairs.

“Not too eventful,” Andy replied as she started up the stairs. “Shouldn’t you be working on your huge thirty-page paper?”

“Well, I was, but I thought I’d ask why you never went to school today.”

Andy stopped walking and sheepishly smiled. “Uh, well, Elena was feeling bad by the time we got to school and I needed to drive her home. You got her text, right? It seemed like a real FU to the environment if I drove all the way back to school.”

“Oh, I forgot how thoughtful you were! Makes me so proud especially because Elena isn’t even home and I just saw her pull up,” Jenna replied with a roll of her eyes. “Just don’t make a habit out of it, okay? It’s the end of your junior year. Have you started to put a portfolio down yet? I know if you are going to apply to art school you need to do it ASAP.”

“I can only draw cartoons, Jen,” Andy said as she walked up to the top of the stairs. “I can barely paint. Jer’s the real artist around here. Besides, can’t I take a gap year? Figure out who I am and all that jazz?”

Jenna sighed. “Of course you can if you want, Andy. It just makes me afraid that if you take a gap year you may never want to go back to school.”

“You sound like my mom,” Andy said with a tired smile, which made Jenna smile small. “How about I take the next couple months to think it over? I don’t really have to apply until the fall. I won’t do anything without talking to you first.”

“Oh, now I’ve got to give you a hug,” Jenna said, pulling her into a tight hug. “Hey, just promise me you won’t start skipping again. It was hard enough to get you to pass your courses last semester.”

“I won’t, Jen. I promise, okay?” Andy pulled out of the hug. “Go work on your paper, lazy. It’s not going to write itself. I’ll give Elena the skipping school lecture.”

“Okay, mom,” Jenna joked as she turned and disappeared into her room. Just then the front door opened and Elena came in. Andy watched her, seeing that her eyes were red as she turned and began up the stairs.

“Hey, you okay?” Andy mouthed to her so she didn’t alert Jenna. Elena simply nodded and walked past Andy silently, leaving her there standing worried what effect this was going to have on her sister. However, Andy had never been good at comforting others. She turned and closed herself up in her room, hoping that no one else knew of Elena’s existence. Otherwise, she had a feeling things were going to get a lot worse very quickly.

**_~*•°•°•*~_ **


	7. The Lazarus Effect

_**Poison & Wine ~ Chapter VII** _

**_~*•°•°•*~_**  

_Andy walked into a clearing in the middle of the woods, a heavy feeling weighing on her but she wasn’t quite sure what it was. It was dark and there were torches lit around the clearing. As she glanced around, she spotted the same blonde haired man she had seen in her dreams before standing on the other side of the clearing._

_“Who are you?” She called out to him, though she felt her fear rising in her chest. His eyes were the normal blue as before, but it didn’t change the fact she felt a sense of dread overtaking her._

_“Your worst nightmare.”_

_Andy jumped and turned to see another person standing next to her. However, instead of Elijah, she found a mirrored version of herself staring back. She jumped back in fear at the image, who was looking at her with a somber expression._

_“Do not trust any of them. They will kill you all.” The image said before gesturing out to the clearing. Looking back, Andy saw the blonde was now feeding on Elena’s neck._

_“No!” Andy shouted and ran towards them. By the time that she had reached them, he was dropping Elena’s lifeless body on the ground. Andy skidded to a stop and started backing up as he advanced toward her, carelessly kicking Elena’s body to the side._

_Andy turned and began running toward where she had seen herself, but now found it was empty. She was grabbed from behind and the man turned her to face him again, the amber eyes now back as he looked down at her with a devilish grin. He reared his head back which showed off his long fangs before he bit down deep into her neck._

Andy sat up with a gasp. Her hands went to her neck as she checked to ensure there were no marks. She sighed as she realized it was all a dream. Glancing at the clock, she saw it was getting close to five in the morning and decided to get up to take a shower.

Many thoughts plagued her mind as she went through her morning routine. She wondered if Katherine’s and Rose’s assumption that she was not a part of the ritual was indeed true. If so, a small part of her was relieved, but at the same time, Elena’s life was still at stake. However, if Klaus had found out of their existence, they were both damned either way.

When Andy got out of the shower, she saw she had a text from Tyler. While it surprised her, she was glad for once he was talking to her. She had been informed by Jeremy the day before that Tyler had been struggling with his werewolf trait. With that in mind, she had texted him to see how he was doing. They hadn’t spoken much recently and had been distant, but she felt bad for him especially now knowing it was all because of Katherine.

Tyler’s text was brief and simply stated, “I’m okay. Thanks for asking, Andy. Something up?”

Andy sighed and replied back, “No, just been thinking about you recently. I’m here for you if you need it, Ty. You know I’ll always be. Don’t hesitate to call.”

After that, she didn’t hear from him and decided to go downstairs to fix herself something to eat for breakfast. As she descended the stairs, she heard people speaking in the kitchen.

“No, Ric, it’s alright. Elena seemed not too traumatized by the sight at least,” Jenna said.

“Yeah but now whenever she sees me all she’ll remember is me in boxers with a bowl of chunky monkey covering my groins,” Ric replied to her.

Andy snorted with laughter as she moved through the hallway into the kitchen. “That doesn’t seem like a pleasant sight,” She commented to them. Alaric was leaning against the island with a cup of coffee while Jenna was leaned against him.

“Andy! I didn’t know you could wake up so early,” Jenna said, stepping back from Alaric as pink rose in her cheeks.

Andy smirked at them as she moved over to the fridge. “Well, if it wasn’t for my nightmares than you two lovebirds would’ve been left alone. Don’t worry, I just want some Frosted Flakes. You guys can have all the Chunky Monkey ice cream that your heart desires.”

Jenna laughed while Alaric looked down in embarrassment. “Right. Uh, I should get going. I need to stop by the apartment and grab a few things before school,” He said, leaning over and placing a kiss on Jenna’s lips. Andy smiled and looked away to give them their privacy as she finished fixing her bowl of cereal.

“Mm. Goodbye,” Jenna said as they pulled away from the kiss.

“Goodbye. See you later?” He asked her.

“Of course,”

“Goodbye, Ric. See you in history,” Andy called as she kept her back to them.

“Bye, Andy. Hope you did the reading. You never know if there will be a pop quiz,” Ric answered before he headed toward the door.

“Good thing I watched _300_ last week!” She replied, hearing his chuckle as he left the house. She turned to see that Jenna was smiling and mixing sugar into her coffee. “Well, somebody had a good time last night.”

Jenna blushed again but rolled her eyes as she tried to play it off. “He and I are just seeing where it goes, okay? I’m not expecting much from it.”

“Ric is a good guy, Jen. And he’s pretty easy on the eyes. If he treats you right, I think you deserve to have as much fun as you want.” Andy said, giving her an encouraging smile.

“Thank you, Andy. So… you’re okay with him staying over, right? Not every night of course,” Jenna questioned, watching her closely.

“Uh, yeah. Ric’s cool. He’s not like that one guy you dated… the news anchor, right? Logan. Now he was a dick,” Andy sat down at the island and continued eating her cereal.

“Well, at least we agree on that,” Jenna said, walking over and giving her niece a squeeze on the shoulder. “I gotta get to class. I’ll see you later?”

“Sure. Have fun being a TA,” Andy said to her with a smirk. The professor Jenna was a TA for was a nasty man, someone who made her do more than her job called for.

Jenna flipped her off as she headed toward the door. “Tell your siblings that they should be getting up soon or they’ll be late for school. Never did I think you would be the one up bright and early for school.”

Once Andy had finished her cereal and had informed Jeremy and Elena of the time, she decided to sit out on the porch and drink some coffee. She pondered her recent dreams and if they meant anything. While she had been trying to shrug them off, the blonde man was beginning to unnerve her. His looks weren’t generic enough for her to pass off as her imagination. Then again, perhaps she was mad for thinking it was something more than just a dream. After all, she had a dream in which Katherine had given birth. She suspected that it was Katherine, especially with them finding out she had a child, but it could have all been a coincidence. A very weird and unusual coincidence, and one she wasn’t sure she wanted to tell the others about until she was certain it wasn’t just her mind playing tricks.

As she sat there with her thoughts, a familiar blue Camaro pulled up to the house. She watched in silence as the two Salvatore brothers approached her, both with an uncertain expression on their faces.

“Did you run out of Frosted Flakes?” Damon asked as they got closer to her.

“No. Why do you ask?” She replied in confusion.

“Because you look as if you’re wondering what the meaning of life is,” Damon said. “And you’re sitting out here alone.”

“Oh, I didn’t realize I can’t sit on my own porch,” Andy stated with a roll of her eyes. “What are you guys doing here anyway? I didn’t think we had a scheduled appointment.”

“We were hoping to talk to you and Elena,” Stefan explained.

“About…?”

“We went to see Katherine,” Damon answered.

“Well, by all means…” Andy said as she stood and walked into the house with the brothers following. “Elena, the guys are here to discuss some important stuff!” She led them into the kitchen and gestured to the coffee. “Help yourself to a cup of Joe if you want.”

“I’m good, thanks,” Stefan said. She shrugged and leaned against the counter as she looked over the two of them.

“Let me guess. We’re going to be late for school, aren’t we?” She asked.

“You could skip the whole day,” Damon pointed out. “We have a plan to get the moonstone from Katherine. We probably have enough man power, but I can’t say I’d turn down your help.”

Andy rolled her eyes. “Yes, a puny human like me could easily help with taking something from a vampire that’s five-hundred years old. I’ve got an appointment and then work anyways.”

“Our loss then,” Damon said. His blue eyes peered into hers and she felt herself becoming uncomfortable under his gaze. Fortunately, she was saved by Elena walking into the kitchen. Her sister had a weary look on her face as if she was not entirely happy that Stefan and Damon were here.

“What’s going on?” Elena asked as she came to stand by Andy.

“We went to see Katherine,” Stefan explained. “And asked her about handing the moonstone over.”

“Let me guess, she swooned at the sight of her ex-boyfriends and handed it right over?” Andy guessed.

“And then we all went to eat at the Grill. Hooray,” Damon replied.

“She said she would give us the moonstone and leave Mystic Falls forever if we get Bonnie to get her out of the tomb,” Stefan interrupted. “I guess she had some time to decide that she would feel safer not in the same town as Klaus if he’s even real.”

Andy scoffed. “Seriously? So, what? We’re just supposed to have faith that she’s not going to turn around and tell Klaus where to find the doppelganger and the moonstone?”

“We don’t believe her, Andy. We just want the moonstone,” Damon said.

“According to Rose's friend Slater, there's a way to destroy the spell that Klaus wants to break,” Stefan explained.

Damon folded his arms over his chest. “No spell, no doppelgänger sacrifice. Ergo, you live. And Andy doesn’t have to worry about missing work.” In response, Andy flipped him off, tossing a scowl his way as well.

“How do you destroy it?” Elena questioned, looking to Stefan.

“By releasing it from the moonstone.”

Andy sighed. “How do you guys even know this is gonna work? I mean, can we even trust this Slater guy?”

“Slater was not the kind of guy who would’ve sold Rose out. And also ‘cause we have a crafty witch on our side,” Damon answered.

Elena sighed, looking over at Andy with a frown. “You discussed it with Bonnie.”

“She agreed to do anything she could to help us,” Stefan stated.

“It's Katherine who has the moonstone. She’s not gonna give it to you,” Elena pointed out.

“We’re gonna get it from her.”

Damon exhaled. “Well, what he means to say is, we will pry it from her cold, dead hand if we have to.”

“Bonnie just needs to find a way to release the seal long enough for us to get in, get the moonstone, and get out in time for her to return it,” Stefan explained.

“Wow. I mean, it sounds like you guys already have it all planned,” Elena said, looking down at the counter. Andy looked over at her sister in curiosity, seeing a displeased expression on her face. Andy went to speak up to ask what her sister thought about the plan but Damon spoke before she could.

“Yep. We're awesome.”

“Except for one thing,” Elena looked back up at them with a determined look. “I don't want you to do it.”

Stefan and Damon exchanged looks. “What are you talking about? Elena, we don't have a choice,” Stefan argued.

“What about Klaus?” Elena pressed.

“We'll find him right _after_ we get the moonstone.”

“Is that before or after he kills everyone that I care about, including the three of you?” Elena said, pointing from Stefan to Damon. Andy saw that the idea that Elena cared about him was startling, but he quickly got his expression under control.

“There’s got to be some way we can come to an agreement, right?” Andy questioned. “This is concerning Elena most of all.”

“Elena, if we can de-spell the moonstone, we can save your life,” Stefan said, looking over at Elena with a desperate look.

“I know. Everybody keeps saying that,” Elena said before she stood and left the room. Andy heard her going up the stairs and turned back to face the brothers.

“Listen, I don’t want my sister dead any more than you do, but I also don’t all of us to end up six feet under just because something goes wrong and Klaus finds out about what we’re doing,” She paused and looked at the clock, seeing she needed to leave within the next ten minutes. “Just… make sure this thing doesn’t go bad, okay? I trust Bonnie, but the last thing we need is for Katherine to get out of that damn tomb.”

Stefan nodded. “We won’t mess it up.”

“Good. Because if you do I’ll slip vervain in your drinks every time you come to the Grill,” Andy started to head toward the front door. “I trust you can let yourselves out.”

* * *

The school day was mostly uneventful for Andy. During gym, she had tried to talk to Tyler, only for him to make an excuse that he wanted to be by himself. At lunch, she sat in Alaric’s room as always as they discussed what was going on with the sun and the moon curse. Once she got to history, she didn’t notice Elena wasn’t there until Alaric was taking attendance for the day. Excusing herself to the bathroom, she called her sister’s cell phone to be ignored. She made a call to Jeremy and got his voicemail, so her last resort was Damon.

“ _Now Andy, don’t you have a quiz you should be taking right now?_ ” Damon said as he answered the phone.

“The fact you know when Ric gives out pop quizzes is bizarre and makes me wonder what you two actually talk about while drinking together,” Andy replied dryly. “Actually, I was more concerned with where my sister is. She’s not here at school but I could have sworn I saw her car outside earlier. The last time she skipped, she went to talk to Katherine behind Stefan’s back, though I think that was a smart call. Still, with her not wanting you all to get the moonstone I don’t want her doing something stupid without me.”

“ _Huh… you tried calling her?_ ”

“No, Damon. I’m so used to living in the past that I don’t even think of the fact I can easily communicate with her on a mobile device.”

“ _Slow down there. I’ll swing by your place before we go to the tomb, okay? See if she went home early or whatever._ ”

“How generous of you. Good luck,” She hung up and sighed. Just as she went to leave her phone rang again, this time it was Elena. Andy answered in an annoyed tone. “You know if you keep skipping school Jenna is going to think you’re the problematic child. Then again, you did date a vampire so you’ve already taken that mantle from me.”

“ _Sorry, I just… I needed some space. I’m just at the house trying to research about this whole thing, but it’s kind of hard when I don’t have much to look for._ ”

“Elena, looking at that stuff will only drive you crazy. Just relax, pop some popcorn, and watch a movie. _Muppet Treasure Island_ always calms you,” Andy pointed out.

“ _You’re right… shouldn’t you be in class?_ ”

“Yeah, I’m going back now. Ric’s giving a pop quiz so you’ll have to make that up, but given he’s been taking residence in Jenna’s room at night it shouldn’t be too difficult.”

“ _I’ll let you go then. Have fun._ ”

“Always.”

Before she left the bathroom, Andy sent a quick text to Damon that Elena had finally responded and sounded okay. Besides, she figured she could check on Elena before her appointment at three-thirty. Once Andy got back to class, Alaric looked at her in worry but she gave him a reassuring nod. After taking the quiz, there wasn’t much time left in the class so Alaric let the class talk amongst themselves. Instead of talking to someone else, Andy went up and pulled a chair up to Alaric’s desk so she could speak with him.

“Where is Elena?” He asked as he paused in grading papers.

“At home. I’m gonna go check up on her before my appointment. She sounded a little distant, but I figure it’s because of Stefan,” Andy explained as she relaxed back in her chair. “At least I think I got at least a seventy on your pop quiz.”

Alaric gave her a stern look. “Do you know how bad it looks if my girlfriend’s niece won’t even pass my class?”

She chuckled. “Oh, so you and Jenna are officially an item? Glad to know, uncle Ric.” She teased with a wink. Alaric, becoming flustered, turned back to grading his papers. “Plus, a seventy is passing.” Before she could probe him further, her phone lit up with a call from Damon. “Hello?”

“ _Get your ass outside the school right now_.”

“Excuse me?” Furrowing her eyebrows, Andy was entirely ready to give him hell for his tone.

“ _Your sister is in Richmond, not at home. You’re coming with me right now. If you don’t hurry, I’ll run in there and get you myself_.”

“Uh… okay, just give me a second.”

“ _I’ll be there in twenty seconds. Nineteen… eighteen…_ ”

“Watch your tone and I’ll gladly be out there.” Andy hung up and looked at Alaric with an annoyed look. “Can I go to the office, Mr. Saltzman? I’ve got to talk to vice principal about the cafeteria food. The stuff is poisonous and honestly, for how long public school has been a thing, you’d think it would get better.”

Alaric raised an eyebrow but nodded. “Leave the hall pass in case someone else needs it.”

“Thanks,” She stood and grabbed her bag before heading out. She knew it wouldn’t be entirely easy to sneak out, but if she took the side doors by the gym she could probably slip past undetected. Sure enough, she was able to sneak out and quickly jogged to the front side of the building so Damon would see her. He had been waiting closer to the front doors but sped up to get to her. She jumped in the car and immediately he peeled off.

“What is going on, Damon? Why is Elena in Richmond?” Andy asked him.

“Apparently your sister has gotten it into her head that she’s going to willingly give herself up to Klaus to be used as a sacrificial lamb,” Damon explained before looking over at her in agitation. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”

“Well, let’s see, did I lie and tell you Elena was at home when she was really trying to get herself killed? Of course not, you daft prick. I wouldn’t have even hesitated in stopping her, especially since that would mean I don’t have to sit here with you for a two-hour car ride,” Andy rebuffed, sinking into the car seat. “Why did you pick me up anyway? Wouldn’t it have been smarter to go straight to her?”

“Maybe. But you’re also her sister, meaning maybe she’ll listen to you more than she will me,” Damon pointed out.

“Why did she go to Richmond?”

Damon exhaled. “Rose’s friend Slater is there. Well, not anymore. Apparently, he was killed. Anyway, she got Rose to bring her there because Slater had some contacts. From what Rose said, Elena decided to email Klaus’ people and told them that the doppelganger was willing to give herself up.”

“Why is she giving herself up?” Andy wondered aloud. “I understand she wants to protect everybody but… is this really the best way? Giving Klaus what he wants and allowing herself to die in the process? It doesn’t seem right. It won’t be safe for anyone if vampires break the sun curse.”

“Well, maybe you’ll be able to make her see the light,” Damon stated, pushing the gas down further. Andy was sure they were already going about a hundred miles an hour and it worried her a bit. After all, if they were in a car wreck, Damon wasn’t going to be the one permanently hurt.

“I think that you need to slow down a bit,” She said, eyeing the speedometer. “If I die, I can’t convince Elena to do anything.”

He let off the gas only a little but was still going well over eighty. Andy accepted that Damon wasn’t going to slow down, so she turned to watch out the window. The two sat in silence for a few minutes, both worrying that by the time they got to Richmond it would be too late.

“Why didn’t you guys tell me about vampires earlier? Or the fact I was adopted? I never really got a good explanation why I was left out of the loop. And I don’t want to hear any of that ‘to protect you’ bullshit,” Andy questioned as she turned to look at Damon again. The vampire glanced at her briefly before looking back to the road. “I know I’m putting on a brave face as if none of this is affecting me but I can’t stop wondering why everyone else but me knew. I thought we were friends. Friends don’t snap your brother’s neck then compel you to forget. Friends don’t keep the secret knowledge of your adoption to themselves. I mean, I don’t even know the first thing about my mother other than she was Alaric’s dead wife which you killed. Friends don’t string you along when they don’t feel the same for you. I knew you were a ‘bad boy,’ but you really changed the meaning of that for me.”

“You’re right. It was shitty of us,” Damon answered after a moment of thought. “I know you’re tired of hearing it, but it was thought to be best for you. I mean, you got out of rehab not too long ago and you seemed to be doing good. From what Elena told me, at least. I didn’t experience pre-rehab Andy.”

“You probably would have liked her,” She replied flatly, turning to gaze out the window. “You’re still an asshole and your reasoning is shit by the way.”

“You haven’t even seen the half of it… I should be the one to tell you. I didn’t know she was your mother, but… I turned her into a vampire,” He explained.

“Huh. I guess that’s why Ric hated you at first,” Andy looked at him. “You two didn’t… uh, have a relationship, did you?”

Damon kept his gaze forward, doing his best to keep a neutral expression. “I don’t think I would call it a relationship…”

“You slept with my biological mother?!”

“So did Ric!”

Andy punched Damon in the arm. “Because _she_ was _his_ wife! And Ric and I never had a ‘thing,’ unlike you and I.”

“Okay, I’m sorry! I didn’t know she was your mother, okay? Not until everyone else did,” Damon explained.

“But you still flirted with me and even Elena,” She pointed out. “That’s just nasty, Damon. What, are you trying to knock everyone on the Gilbert list off? Is Jeremy next? Or perhaps John?”

“I think we’ve come to a point where we know you and I won’t happen,” He replied. She grew silent, a bit burnt by that comment. She knew he was right, she wouldn’t have done anything with him after what she suspected of his feelings for Elena, no matter how much he denied it. Still, hearing him say it out loud hurt her more than she cared to admit.

“That’s fair,” She said after realizing that Damon was looking at her after she hadn’t responded. A silence overtook them, one that was tense and filled with awkwardness. Instead of saying any more, she turned on the radio and the two listened to music for the rest of their trip. During the ride, Andy called to reschedule her therapy session and then to ask Matt if he could find someone to cover her shift. Fortunately, he was willing and Andy made a mental note to buy him something to repay his kindness. He had been doing a lot for her lately since she had found out about vampires and he was underappreciated by them all.

Once at Richmond, Damon plugged the address into his GPS so they could easily find Slater’s apartment. Within minutes they were walking up to the apartment.

“A part of me is thinking bringing you along might have been a mistake, if Elena already got herself caught,” Damon said, glancing at her as they walked down the hallway.

“Well, it’s a little too late to be having those regrets. I’m better off to be waiting with you anyway. I’m not exactly good in a fight against any vampire and I’m definitely not waiting outside while my sister may be kidnapped,” She explained as they came to a stop in front of the apartment number Rose had given them.

“Here goes nothing,” He opened the door and snuck through. She followed behind them until they reached the living room, where Elena was standing in front of an unfamiliar woman. Elena was sipping on a glass of water and turned back to leave the room when she noticed Andy and Damon in the room. She gasped in fear, but Damon was quick to speak first. “What are you doing here?”

“What are you two doing here?” Elena demanded, looking in between Damon and her sister. Rose entered the room. Elena turned around and looked at her angrily. “You called him?”

“I'm sorry, Elena,” Rose said, folding her arms over her chest.

“You said that you understood,” Elena shot back at the vampire.

“She lied,” Damon said, walking over to Elena with a stern expression.

Elena turned around and looked at Damon with a displeased expression. Before she could speak, the unfamiliar woman walked up to them and was clearly star struck seeing Damon. “Damon Salvatore!” The woman exclaimed, causing Andy to raise an eyebrow. Who was this woman?

“Get rid of her,” Damon said, glancing at Rose briefly.

“No... _way_!” The woman said as Rose grabbed her arm and led her out of the room.

“What the hell were you thinking, Elena?” Andy asked, looking over at her sister.

“We can have this conversation in the car,” Damon said. “Come on. We’re leaving.”

“No,” Elena snapped.

Damon looked at her with an irritated expression. “I said _we're_ _leaving_.”

Elena shook her head and stood her ground. “I'm not going with you.”

“You do not get to make decisions anymore,” Damon stated.

“When have I ever made a decision? You and Stefan do that for me. Now, this, this is _my_ decision,” Elena said, turning to look at her sister. “Andy, you understand, right?”

“Who's gonna save your life while you're out making decisions? Andy? She already said she’s no match for a vampire,” Damon said, interrupting Andy before she could barely get a word out.

Elena sighed and shook her head. “You're not listening to me, Damon. I don't want to be saved. Not if it means that Klaus is gonna kill every single person that I love.”

“Get your ass out the door before I throw you over my shoulder and carry you out myself,” Damon said as he grasped her arm tightly. Elena struggled and released herself from his grip.

“No!” She exclaimed, throwing a punch at Damon. Damon clutched her fist in his hand and moved in towards her. Elena gasped in shock.

“Don't ever do that again,” He stated in a low voice before he released her fist from his grasp and walked away. Elena stood there, horrified, as he walked in the direction Rose and the woman had gone.

“Elena…” Andy walked over to her sister. “Why don’t we have a seat?” The two went over and sat next to one another on the couch. Elena sat her glass of water on the coffee table and remained silent for a moment. Andy put a hand on her sister’s knee. “I understand you don’t want to save everyone else but is this really the way? Letting Klaus kill you just for some stupid curse?”

“You heard what Katherine said, Andy. Klaus won’t stop until everyone I love is dead if we do anything to mess with this spell,” Elena said, her brown eyes full of determination. “If that means dying to save everyone, then I’m okay with that.”

“But why can’t we all survive? No one is safe if every vampire in the world can suddenly walk in the daylight,” Andy asked. “What is so complicated about fighting Klaus? Screw everything Rose and Katherine said. We can survive, we don’t have to pick and choose who dies. If Klaus doesn’t know you exist—”

“He will now,” Rose commented as she walked into the room. She sat across from the twins and gestured to the set of double doors she had come out of. “Damon is in there compelling Alice to forget everything she saw today.”

“Why did you call him?” Elena demanded.

“Because what you did was stupid, and Damon would have killed me had you been taken,” Rose pointed out.

“I agree,” Andy said, looking back over at her sister. “Sure, you would’ve saved everyone else, but you would have sacrificed Rose. How would Klaus know that she got a pardon from Elijah? Then the moonstone is still in Mystic Falls. Klaus would have to go there and do you really think he wouldn’t meddle in stuff? And both Stefan and Damon would do something stupid to try to save you, not even counting how many he’ll kill that you don’t know.”

Elena remained silent for a moment. Before anyone else could speak, Damon opened a set of double doors and exited the bedroom. Elena and Rose looked at him from their seats in the living area. “Time to go. Alice is soundly sleeping and won't remember a moment of this horribly stupid day.” Damon said as he walked toward them.

Suddenly, the front doors burst open and three men walked into the apartment. Damon turned his head to look at them as Rose, Andy, and Elena stood up.

“We're here to meet the doppelgänger,” The man in the middle spoke.

“Thank you for coming,” Elena said as she attempted to walk towards them, but Damon pushed her back.

“I will break your arm,” He whispered to her before he looked back at the men. “There's nothing here for you.”

The man in the back suddenly dropped to the floor, dead. Andy stared in shock as her mind processed who was standing behind the dead man. It was Elijah, the very man she had been seeing a lot of in her dreams.

The other two vampires looked back at Elijah. Elijah vamp-sped towards them, looking from one to the other. Rose gasped and vamp-sped out of the apartment. Elijah looked over at Elena, Andy, and Damon.

“I killed you. You were dead,” Damon said, looking at Elijah in surprise. Andy had to say, for a dead guy, Elijah looked much better than she imagined he would have. He didn’t even have a scratch on him.

“For centuries now,” Elijah commented, his gaze landing on Andy before he turned to the man who had come for Elena. “Who are you?”

“Who are you?” The man demanded.

“I'm Elijah,” Elijah replied, causing the man’s eyes to widen.

“We were gonna bring her to you. For Klaus. She's the doppelgänger. I don't know how she exists, but she does. Klaus will want to see her.” The man explained.

“Does anyone else know that you're here?” Elijah asked.

“No.”

“Well, then, you have been incredibly helpful,” Elijah plunged his arm's into the two vampires' chests. They grunted as Elijah ripped their hearts out. The two vampires fell to the floor, dead, and Elijah let their hearts drop from his hands. Damon prepared to fight with Elijah, but Andy rushed and grabbed Damon’s arm. She was looking at Elijah and his gaze was on her. She swallowed before speaking.

“Damon, I don’t think it’s wise—” Before she could even finish her sentence, Elijah shocked them all by turning around and vamp-speeding out of the apartment. Damon looked back at Andy, both with shocked expressions on their faces. “What the hell?”

“I think now would be a good time to leave before the not-so-dead Elijah decides to come back for you two,” Damon commented as he walked toward the front door. “I guess Rose will just have to ride back alone.”

“Are we just going to leave these bodies here?” Andy asked as she walked over to them. She felt chills go along her spine as she stared at the hearts on the ground. She looked away, doing her best to keep a neutral expression on her face.

“It should help Alice with Slater’s death. She’ll think they killed him,” Damon stated.

“But if they’re Klaus’ goons then if he finds out they’re dead he’ll know something is up,” She pointed out. “At least if they’re missing then he thinks they ran or something.”

Damon sighed before tossing Andy the keys. “Fine, but if Elijah comes back for you all I’m letting him take you.”

“Wow, chivalry is still alive,” Andy said with a roll of her eyes. “Just hurry, okay? I don’t want to be on the road all day.”

“Aye, captain.”

* * *

By the time, they arrived back in Mystic Falls, the sun had completely set. Instead of dropping them off and leaving, Damon made sure to walk them to the door, apparently the ensure Elena didn’t do anything stupid in that time. The car ride home had been silent and the three had hardly spoken any words other than when they stopped for food.

Elena sighed as they walked up the stairs, turning to look over her shoulder at Damon. “Thank you for bringing us home.”

“Well, your ride left you. I didn't want to leave you stranded,” He commented. They stopped at the front door and turned to face one another.

“She was just scared. She didn't mean to run,” Elena rationalized.

“Yes, she did. She's been running for five-hundred years,” He replied.

Andy folded her arms across her chest. “I can't believe Elijah's alive. Why do you think he killed those three vampires and just let us go?”

“If I had a dollar for every time some evil vampire surprised me…” Damon said with a snort. Elena nodded and walked towards the door, but Damon caught her arm before she opened it and turned her around so she faced him. Andy felt as if she was in the middle of something, but stayed where she was. She didn’t want Damon to try anything, not that Elena would let him. “What you did today was incredibly stupid.”

“Actually, the only thing that was stupid was that I got caught,” Elena said, wriggling her arm out of his grasp and he let her go. “I don't question why you and Stefan and everyone else tries so hard to save me. You shouldn't question why I would try to save all of you.”

Jeremy opened the front door and almost hit Andy with it. She jumped to the side and started to head inside but stopped when she saw Jeremy’s concerned expression. “Damon, good night, okay?” Elena said to the Salvatore but also paused when she saw her brother.

“What?” Damon asked Jeremy when they noticed his concern.

“It's Stefan.”

**_~*•°•°•*~_ **


	8. Cruel Intentions

**_Poison & Wine ~ Chapter VIII_ **

**_~*•°•°•*~_ **

The past two days had gone and passed quickly for Andy. She wasn’t complaining, but it had just been her going through the motions. After they had returned, they were met with the information that Stefan was stuck in the tomb with Katherine because Jeremy had tried to stop Bonnie from using her magic so she wouldn’t be overwhelmed. She hadn’t been much help to get Stefan out of the tomb, but Elena had.

Apparently, when Andy was at work, Elijah had dropped by the house and gotten Jenna to invite him in, passing as a researcher on Mystic Falls and had taken the historic files that their mother had collected. He then explained to Elena he had no intention to break the curse, rather he wanted to kill Klaus. They brokered a deal in which Stefan would be freed from the tomb if Elena stopped trying to hand herself over to Klaus and would be willing to work with him when the time came. He claimed that when they would draw Klaus out later, he would kill him. Andy didn’t know how this was going to be accomplished considering Elijah clearly couldn’t be killed in some ways, but then again if anyone knew how they could die, it would be Elijah.

Andy wasn’t sure how she felt about this deal, but with the moonstone destroyed by Bonnie, she felt slightly better about it. Though, something about Elijah rubbed her the wrong way. Then again, she was sure it was because he was an Original and was showing up in her dreams often.

The day she had to make up her missed therapy session was a Friday afternoon, one she admittedly wasn’t doing much else on but would have preferred to work that night. Sitting across from Dr. Ripley was always tense and quiet, even if it was only for half an hour.

_“How have you been, Andy?” Dr. Ripley said. The doctor had dark hair and eyes but was always friendly. It’s not that Andy hated her, she just didn’t like having to talk to someone about her problems. It had been easier in rehab when there were others that knew what she was struggling with, but now she couldn’t even tell her therapist that her sister was a part of an old curse and would be killed to break it. “You canceled Wednesday’s appointment rather late. I was a bit worried.”_

_“I’m just fine,” She answered, staring into space and tapping my fingers on the couch._

_“What’s bothering you, Andy? You look upset.”_

_“That’s a very broad question, Dr. Ripley,” Andy pointed out as she looked over at her doctor._

_“Then why don’t we start with something small?”_

_Andy sighed and folded her arms over her chest as she looked out the window. “There’s this writer who is researching small town Virginia and decided Mystic Falls would be the perfect town. He needs historical records, and my mom collected a lot of them since she was a part of a founding family. He took them. I mean, he’s not keeping them forever, but he still took them and my aunt let him without knowing anything else about this guy.”_

_“Did you read these records a lot?”_

_“Yes, I did. My mom and I used to go to all those historical events the mayor would hold. She always said it was important to know where we came from,” Andy’s gaze dropped to the floor._

_“It’s understandable that you would be upset at your aunt for giving the records away without consulting you first, Andy,” Dr. Ripley said. “Perhaps you could speak to her or this writer? Make sure it’s clear you want your mother’s records back as soon as possible.”_

Andy had nodded and played nice for the remaining twenty minutes or so, but there wasn’t much else she wanted to speak of. She decided to not bring up the fact she was adopted yet and instead opted to stay silent.

When she got to her shift at the Grill later that day, she ran into Alaric as she got there. He was sitting down at a table looking around the room. She walked over to him and put her hands on her waist.

“Are you waiting for someone, Mr. Saltzman?” She asked cheekily.

Alaric smiled small and exhaled. “Not for Jenna unfortunately. I’m here looking for the wolf that bit Rose last night.”

Andy’s eyebrows furrowed. “What?”

“You don’t know?” He sighed. “The full moon was last night.”

“Yeah, Bonnie destroyed the moonstone,” Andy said.

“And a werewolf bit Rose when she meant to bite Damon instead.”

“I thought Tyler was the only werewolf in town,” She said in confusion.

“Mason’s friend came to look for him. She’s a werewolf also,” Alaric explained. “Damon’s hoping she knows a cure to a werewolf bite.”

“Mason is a werewolf? He left town anyway. Why don’t you all just tell her that?” Andy asked. Alaric hesitated and looked away from her. She exhaled in horror as a thought dawned on her of who she had last seen Mason with. She remembered Tyler’s uncle who had always been kind to her and Tyler compared to his brother. “Damon killed him, didn’t he?”

“He threatened to out Damon to the town,” Alaric explained. “I don’t agree with it, but I couldn’t do anything. I’m sorry.”

“It seems anyone can’t do anything when it comes to stopping Damon’s behavior,” Andy noted, avoiding his gaze as she looked at her writing pad. “Well, do you want anything to eat or drink while you’re keeping watch?”

“Some coffee would be nice,” He said softly.

“I’ll be right on it,” Andy turned and went to get him some coffee. Her mind was still reeling when she got back to the table. Stefan had joined Alaric, who stood and left before she even reached the table. “Well, would you like some coffee, Stefan? Seems my other customer forgot his wallet.”

“That’d be great, thanks,” Stefan said, his gaze going to a woman. Andy glanced over at the woman as she poured him some coffee.

“That the werewolf who bit Rose?” She asked Stefan.

“Yeah, it is,” He answered with a sigh. “Damon’s inevitably going to be here to kill her as well.”

“You think there’s a cure for a bite?”

“I’m not sure. If there was, wouldn’t we know by now?” Stefan pointed out.

She nodded in agreement, though she thought about the fact that maybe not someone that wasn’t as old as they would, but someone such as an Original, who apparently knew how to cheat death may know. “What about Elijah?” She suggested. “I mean, he’s old and survived a stake in the heart. Maybe—”

“I doubt Elijah would be willing to help Rose, not that we would even know how to contact him. Besides, the less he’s around the better. I don’t trust him with Elena,” Stefan admitted.

“You’re right,” She relented. “I gotta get back to work but keep me updated, okay?” She walked away and went into the backroom for a moment. She pulled out her phone and texted Jenna a message. “Hey J. Mind sending me the number to that historian? Just wanna make sure he doesn’t mess up the files. Don’t worry, I’ll play nice.”

She went back to work, going up to the woman who had bitten Rose. “Sorry about that. My name is Andy and I’ll be your server today. Can I start you off with a drink?”

The woman seemed friendly enough, even making small talk with Andy about the weather. She made sure her order was put through and kept a close eye on her without seeming like she was being overly watchful. Seeing that Damon wasn’t in sight, she decided to take her dinner break and rushed to the back of the store to see if Jenna had answered. Surely enough a text was waiting for her, begging that she not bother the man. Still, Jenna had sent the number.

For a moment, Andy thought about not calling the number, but then remembered Rose had been doing her best to help them. The least she could do was try to save her. The phone rang but went to voicemail after a few rings.

“Elijah. This is Andrea Gilbert. The sister of the doppelganger. I need to talk to you immediately so please give me a call back as soon as you can,” She hung up and anxiously waited for a call. She was tempted to just cut her break early when her phone rang with the number just a moment later. “Hello?” She answered.

“ _Hello, Andrea. This is unexpected_ ,” The familiar voice replied. “ _How did you get this number?_ ”

“Always expect the unexpected,” She exhaled nervously. “I didn’t call for pleasantries or a get-to-know-me session. I called because my friend Rose was bitten by a werewolf and I need to know if there is a cure. She doesn’t have much time left and I’m trying to make sure no one else dies around here.”

Elijah hesitated a moment. “ _I’m afraid there is no hope for Rose._ ”

“I didn’t ask if there was any hope for her. I asked you if there was a cure. If it involves a werewolf, we’ve got a couple here that could go to good use.”

“ _There is a cure, but it is far out of your reach. It is not near Mystic Falls. You will not be able to retrieve it before she dies,_ ” He explained. “ _My apologies. I am sorry to disappoint you._ ”

“Don’t apologize to me. I’m not the one dying,” She sighed. There was a silence, one in which it hit her she was having a conversation with Elijah, a dangerous Original she had seen kill multiple people at this point. The one who wanted to use her sister to lure Klaus out from hiding. “Uh, well, that’s all I needed to know. If you could avoid messing up my mother’s files, I’d appreciate it. Unless you like to be punched because I don’t mind punching even an Original.”

“ _Of course, Andrea. They are in safe hands_.”

“Right. Well. Goodbye.” She hung up and ran a hand through her hair. She supposed now she would need to break the news to Damon and Rose, but she couldn’t leave work. She called Elena but there was no answer. “Elena, hey… I’m at work but I managed to get hold of Elijah. He says there’s a cure but we can’t get to it. It’s not in Mystic Falls. I gotta go but next time someone should maybe drop a line and let me in on this kind of stuff.”

By the time Andy had gotten back out there, Jules was eating but she had also been joined by Damon. She went to go over to them, but Jules was leaving by the time she reached them. Damon started to as well but she grabbed his arm.

“Damon, wait,” She said, squeezing his arm. He turned to look at her in annoyance but she didn’t let go of him. “I called Elijah to ask him if there was a cure. There’s—”

“There’s not, Andy. I don’t need it reiterated to me again. Just do your job, maybe even Jules left you a nice tip,” Damon snapped before he yanked his arm away and left. She sighed and went to clean up Jules’ food. This was going to be a long shift.

* * *

Once the dinner rush started, the time had flown by for Andy. She hadn’t gotten another chance to check her phone and the others hadn’t come through the Grill so Andy was completely left out of the loop. When she finished cleaning her section and her manager gave her the okay to leave, she hurried out to her car seeing that she had gotten multiple calls and texts from Elena. Rose had succumbed to her werewolf bite after all, but not before taking a few causalities at the cheerleading fundraising barbecue.

Deciding to head home, Andy found herself driving on the small back roads, aching for her bed so she could just forget all that had happened today. Instead, she nearly hit a car that was parked in the middle of the road. Stopping her car, she reluctantly moved to go check on what was happening when she saw a motionless woman.

“Are you okay, ma'am?” She called out as she approached but received no answer. Andy went to her side and turned her body so she was lying on her back. Her eyes were blank and her neck was soaked in blood. Andy gasped and fell back onto her hands, staring at the body in horror. Looking up, she saw Damon walking toward her with a near empty bottle of vodka.

“What... What did you do?!” Andy demanded as she stood to her feet. He didn't answer and instead took a swig of his drink. Andy walked over and shoved him. “Just because your friend died doesn’t mean you deal with it by slaughtering innocent humans! You’re supposed to get revenge on the person who killed her.”

“I'm mourning and I’m thirsty,” He slurred. “Humans mourn, too, remember?”

Andy snatched the bottle away and threw it down on the ground, shattering it into a million pieces. Damon lunged toward her, wrapping a hand around her neck and squeezing enough to cause her discomfort. “Go ahead, kill me over a bottle of vodka! You killed Jeremy for no reason, you killed Mason instead of reasoning with him, might as well add me to the list!”

He stared at her a moment before releasing his grip. “Go. Now.” He pushed her away and turned away, looking at the body on the ground. Andy walked around and punched him as hard as she could in his face, though she felt the ache in her hand immediately. He stumbled a bit but managed to catch himself. “I probably deserved that.”

“Don’t ever touch me again,” She growled at him. She turned her back to him and dialed Stefan’s number.

“ _Andy?_ ”

“Stefan, I need your help. I'm on Wickery Drive, and we need a clean-up before someone else drives by,” Andy said, squeezing the bridge of her nose. “It’s right in the middle. They’ll be a car and a drunk asshole sitting in the middle of the road.”

“ _What happened?_ ” Stefan asked in concern.

“He’ll be here, waiting for your help. He killed a woman. Feel free to enact whatever punishment you wish,” Andy hung up and turned to head back to her car.

“I’m sorry, Andy,” Damon said as she passed him.

“I don’t care,” She stated with a scowl.

“Can you at least give me a ride home?”

“You’re a vampire. Run. Or you could stay and own up to your shit. I don’t give a fuck either way as long as if you stay away from me,” She climbed into her car and locked the doors, driving around him. When she got home, she started to head upstairs but paused when she heard her name called.

“Andy?” Elena called from the kitchen.

“Yeah, it’s me. Long day so I’m just gonna go to bed,” She answered as she continued up the stairs.

“No hello for your uncle?” She paused and turned to see John was standing in the hall. Elena stood behind him with a frown.

“John, what are you doing here?” Andy asked as she went back down stairs and walked over to him. She pulled him into a hug before backing away.

“I’m in town to protect you and Elena,” John explained. “It’s good to see you. How are you doing?”

“I’m fine, just tired,” She glanced to see Elena was walking back into the kitchen. “Is something going on?”

“No, we were just catching up.”

“Oh well, then I’m gonna go to bed. It’s been a long day,” She turned and started to head up the stairs. “I’m assuming you were let in on the fact I know you’re our father. Next time I’d appreciate some heads up on that kind of information.”

John nodded. “Of course, Andy. I’m sorry you had to find out like that.”

“Just let Jenna know you’re here. She doesn’t need a curveball,” Andy made it to her room and walked in. Her phone buzzed and she looked down to see Elijah’s number pop up. Making sure she locked her door, she answered. “Hello?”

“ _Good evening, Andrea. How are you doing?_ ”

“I’m fine… Is something wrong?” She asked.

“ _No, I just wanted to check to see how you were doing after Rose. I am sorry I couldn’t do more to help_ ,” He said.

“I didn’t know her too well. But she deserved better,” Andy sighed and sat down on her bed. “Do you really want to help my sister, Elijah? Whoever Klaus is… he doesn’t sound like someone we should be messing with. Katherine told me he slaughtered her entire family. I can’t let that happen to mine. There’s not many people I have left in this world.”

“ _I assure you Klaus can be killed. I would not harm your family intentionally, Andrea._ ”

“Thank you.”

There was a long moment of silence between the two of them before Elijah finally spoke up. “ _I should let you get some rest. Goodnight, Andrea_.” She heard the dial tone a moment later. She slowly dropped her phone to her side and laid back on her bed, wondering who Elijah really was and if they could trust him. She was certain they would find out soon enough.

**_~*•°•°•*~_ **


	9. Torture

**_Poison & Wine ~ Chapter IX_ **

**_~ * • ° • ° • * ~_ **

_“Anastasia!”_

_Turning her head, Andy saw a younger version of the blonde and blue-eyed boy she had been seeing. He was grinning back at her and stuck the sword that he had in his hands into the dirt before beginning to walk toward her. “I found you, love.”_

_As he approached, the look in his eyes changed, going darker. She watched in horror as the cerulean blue began morphing into the amber she had seen many times before._

_“No! Please don’t!” She pleaded, as she began backing up but the man still approached her. She turned and began running toward a set of woods. She felt her feet getting tripped up by the dress she wore as she did her best to run away from the man. Twigs snapped under her feet and she felt tears began flowing down her cheeks._

_Her dress got caught on a log as she tried to jump over it and immediately she went tumbling to the ground. She crawled to hide behind the nearest tree, doing her best to control her breathing. Was this how she was going to die? In a forest alone with a madman? She leaned her back against the tree and held her hand over her mouth._

_“Anastasia…” A voice whispered from behind her. She whipped around to be met with amber eyes before the man lunged for her throat._

Andy jumped awake, finding herself in her own room with the only sound being her heavy breathing. Sitting up, she saw that it was just a little after ten in the morning. She ran her hands down her face, wondering if she should tell Stefan or Elena about these dreams she had been having. At this point, it had become a nightly occurrence. She couldn’t remember the last time she had a dream that wasn’t featuring the man or Elijah.

Deciding to see what was up with Elena and John, she pulled herself out of bed and changed into some comfortable clothes and pulled her hair up. She headed downstairs and heard the TV on.

“The authorities believe last night’s assailant may also be related to the missing campers and park ranger who have yet to be found, as well as twenty-five-year-old Jessica Koenig, reported missing this morning. The sheriff's department says investigations are pending and no further comment will be made. In related news, Mayor Lockwood spoke earlier today…” Walking around the corner, Andy saw that John was standing in the kitchen watching the report. On the report, it switched to a video of Carol speaking. “Due to the recent tragedies that have plagued our town, we will be holding a memorial in Town Square today to honor all those we have lost. Join us and hope that as a community we can begin to heal.”

John switched off the TV and looked over at her. “I’m surprised to see you up early on a Saturday,” He commented as she walked over to him.

“Well, it wasn’t necessarily by choice,” She replied with a tired smile as she poured herself a cup of coffee.

“Nightmares?” He guessed.  
“Yeah, but they’re different from what they used to be,” She admitted as she walked over to the fridge for the coffee creamer.

“Would you like to talk about it?” He asked her.

She shrugged. “It’s probably nothing but…” She hesitated, wondering if she should tell John. Elena had told her what he had tried to do last time he was in town, but she had always trusted him. “Well, I’ve been having these weird dreams… with Elijah in them. Then there’s this man who is chasing me. He seems sort of familiar, but I don’t recognize him. I sketched a couple pictures of him, but I’m not really good with realistic drawings. I don’t know where I’ve seen him before.”

John looked at her in concern but before he could say anything Elena walked into the room. “Morning, sis,” Andy said as she turned to look at her.

Elena immediately turned to John with a frown. “What are you really doing here?”

“Coffee?” John asked, holding out the pot.

“We’re not doing that. We did that last night. No more avoiding,” Elena said with a shake of her head. “Why are you here?”

“I'm here to protect you and Andy. That's all I can say for the moment,” He answered.

Andy’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean that’s all you can say? Were you hired by someone or something? How else would you know we need protecting?”

“I'll tell you more when I'm convinced I can trust everyone,” John said. Just as Elena went to question him again, Jenna and Alaric entered the living room but didn’t notice everyone in the kitchen yet.

“Oh God, I'm late,” Jenna said.

“That's what you get for hitting the snooze three times!” Alaric pointed out with a smile. They walked into the kitchen and the two finally noticed John. Jenna’s expression morphed into surprise and anger.

“What the hell?” She exclaimed.

“Good morning to you, Jenna. Alaric...” John said before he took a sip of his coffee.

“It's okay I'm confused, right? Because we were not expecting you, like, ever,” Jenna said as she folded her arms over her chest.

“Well, I got in late last night. Elena let me in,” John gestured to his daughter.

“I told you to tell Jenna last night,” Andy pointed out to Elena with a shake of her head.

“You know, I'm uh, probably just gonna take off…” Alaric glanced at Elena and Andy before he turned and left the room.

Jenna sighed. “I'm still confused here.”

“I decided to come back and stay for a while.”

Jenna shook her head. “Not here, you're not.”

“Actually, you can't stop me from living here,” John pointed out.

“Actually, I can, as the _legal guardian_ ,” Jenna countered with a scowl.

“Yeah, about that...um, Elena, Andy, you want me to explain the situation, or would you like to do the honors?” John looked over at them expectantly. Andy sighed and shook her head. Of course, John couldn’t get along with Jenna for even a moment.

“Okay, what's going on?” Jenna asked, looking at the twins in irritation.

“I'm sorry, Jenna. I should have told you earlier, but—” Elena started, but John was quick to interrupt.

“I'm Elena’s and Andy’s biological father. There, now you know,” John said before he walked away, leaving the twins alone to deal with a confused Jenna.

“What?!” Jenna exclaimed.

“Wait, you didn’t know our father was John?” Andy asked in confusion.

“No!” Jenna said, looking at them with an unhappy look. “How long have you two known?”

“Me? Just a couple weeks,” Andy answered before looking over at Elena. She hated throwing Elena under the bus, but they should have already told Jenna everything at this point. Waiting this long did nobody any good.

“I’m sorry, Jenna. I should’ve told you, but… I just didn’t know how.” Elena admitted.

Jenna exhaled and shook her head. “It’s… It’s not your fault. I can’t believe Miranda never told me.”

Andy reached over and put a comforting hand on her aunt’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, Jen.”

“It’s okay. I just… I need to go or I’ll be late,” Jenna grabbed her things before she started to walk away. She stopped and looked back at them. “Can I ask you guys a favor? We’ve always been close. I always thought we were, at least. Can you both promise me not to keep anything from me again? I don’t want any secrets between us anymore. I know this was a personal thing and it’s okay that I didn’t know this.”

“Of course, Jenna,” Elena immediately said with a reassuring smile. Andy, however, hesitated. How could Elena make the promise to their aunt knowing that they weren’t being completely honest with Jenna? After all, if Klaus showed up to town, it would affect them all. Jenna not knowing was going to be a problem.

Jenna looked at Andy. She smiled wearily at Jenna and nodded. “I will always be honest with you, Jen.”

“Thank you, guys,” Jenna sighed with relief. “I’ll see you all later for dinner maybe?”

“That sounds great,” Elena nodded. Once Jenna had said her goodbyes and left the house, Andy turned toward her sister.

“We have to tell her,” She stated firmly.

“Andy…”

“No, don’t ‘Andy’ me. You heard her, Elena. She asked us to be honest with her and we promised her,” Andy pointed out. “We’ve put it off long enough. She should know what vampires are, what _Elijah_ is. If he’s going to continue the façade of a historical writer, then she’ll be interacting with him. She needs to be prepared for what she’s getting into. No matter what, Klaus is coming. _You_ made the deal with Elijah. Klaus will know about us sooner or later and if he happens to make it to Mystic Falls, she _will_ need to know how to protect herself. We all will.”

Elena sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. She thought for a moment before nodding. “Okay. We’ll tell her. But we can’t do it today, not when she just found out about John being our dad. I know she’s strong, but I don’t want to stress her out too much yet. She has so much going on.”

Andy nodded. “Fine. But if we don’t do it within the next couple days I’ll do it with or without you.” Elena looked at her wearily before leaving the room. Andy sighed and looked over at the TV, wondering if Stefan had hidden the bodies Damon had killed last night well enough. She would call him, but a part of her was just fine with not speaking to any vampires for the day after what occurred with Damon last night. She hadn’t heard from him yet and found herself okay with that for the first time in a while.

* * *

Later that day, Andy decided to attend the memorial for those Damon had killed. She walked around aimlessly for a while, watching the somber expressions of everyone as she passed them. Finally, she wondered upon John who had been talking to Jeremy. She approached them and listened to what they said as she moved closer.

“Look, things are different now. You can't come around and start up with all this anti-vampire stuff,” Jeremy firmly told him.

“I have no intention of doing that. How's that ring been treating you?” John asked.

“Look, if this is what you came for, just take it and go,” Jeremy said as he took the ring off and offered it to him. John glanced in her direction before looking back to Jeremy with a sigh.

“What kind of a man would I be if I took that from you?” John questioned. “You want to go grab some lunch?”

“I think I'll pass,” Jeremy replied flatly before he walked away. John nodded before turning away and walking toward Andy with a weary smile.

“I guess it was a good thing you weren’t there to experience what happened a few months ago,” John commented.

“I’m not the biggest fan of vampires right now, but even I have to admit what you did was kind of shitty,” Andy admitted as she folded her arms across her chest. “But I am a fan of food. I’ll grab a late lunch with you if you want? I get half off at the Grill.”

John continued smiling. “That’d be great. My treat nonetheless,” The two began making their way towards the Grill. “So, these dreams you’ve been having…”

“Ah, yes. I forgot we were interrupted this morning.”

“I don’t suppose you have pictures of these sketches to show me? I just wonder if it will be someone I recognize,” John explained.

“Not on me. I might be able to do a quick sketch on a napkin though,” She said. “I think I’m just being paranoid about it. I’m sure it’s nothing. Just my mind playing tricks… but I’ve never had such vivid dreams before. They seem so realistic and I remember every detail even now.”

“Would you mind giving me these details?” He asked.

“I don’t mind, but it’s gonna be a long explanation.”

“Well, we’ve got time. The Grill seems to be busy,” John replied as he held the door open for her. She thanked him as she walked in and glanced around. She spotted Jenna and Alaric talking at a table while they ate lunch. Jenna looked over and smiled at Andy until she noticed John stopping by her side. Her smile fell and her nose scrunched up in disgust.

John started to head over in their direction but Andy caught his arm. “No, John. Jenna already doesn’t like you already and less so right now. The best plan is to let her have a few hours without having to talk to you, okay? Let’s sit down. There’s no need for any more family drama today.”

John nodded. “You remind me so much of my brother,” He stated as they moved to sit down at their own table away from Alaric and Jenna.

“Thank you,” She smiled small in thanks. The waitress came by and they ordered their drinks. However, before they could begin speaking about the dreams, John’s attention was pulled elsewhere.

“Look who's here,” He said. Andy looked up and saw Elena had walked in… with Damon by her side. Immediately Andy turned her head away and clenched her fists. If he came this way she was certain she wouldn’t be able to stop herself from hitting him. Sure enough, Damon and Elena walked over to them.

“John, buddy, how have you been?” Damon greeted. Andy gritted her teeth and scowled down at the table.

“I've been all right, Damon. It's good to see you,” John replied.

Andy stood up and looked over at John. “Suddenly I’m not hungry anymore. Sorry to bail like this but just tell Kristin you’re with me and she’ll give you a discount.” She turned and started to walk around Damon and Elena when a voice stopped her.

“Andy,” Damon called out.

Andy paused and looked back at him with a scowl. She didn’t say anything else to him, knowing that she didn’t need words to convey to him how upset and angry she was at him. She continued out of the Grill, ignoring the worried look Jenna threw her way. She didn’t want to talk now, she just wanted to be by herself for a while.

To ensure she was left alone, she switched off her phone and decided to actually go to the memorial. Over the next few hours, she spoke with Carol briefly after running into the mayor outside.

_“Have you spoken with Tyler recently?” The mayor had asked._

_“I did the other day,” Andy replied. “He seemed to be doing slightly better.”_

_Carol sighed. “Yes, he is I think. But he’s been so distant still. He just worries me is all.”_

_“How about I see if he wants to hang out maybe later tonight or tomorrow? I’m sure he needs a day of fun at the lake or something,” Andy suggested. Carol had smiled and looked a bit more relieved._

Other than that, Andy had wandered aimlessly through shops and purchased a couple new books she was hoping to get through soon. It had been a while since she had read but it was something she had been missing a lot more recently.

Once it had darkened, everyone in the town square began lighting candles for the victims. _Damon’s_ victims, Andy reminded herself as she sat her candle down next to the fountain. She finally decided it was probably time to head home since Jenna would probably want to get takeout for dinner and watch a movie or two. As she headed out of the town square, she noticed John and Damon were talking. She quickly turned away from them, hoping Damon didn’t see her and wouldn’t try to speak with her. She turned her phone back on, seeing she had multiple missed calls from Jenna and Elena. Andy decided to go for the safer option of the two.

“ _Hey_ ,” Jenna answered. “ _Is everything okay?_ ”

“Yeah, I just… I needed to get away from everyone for a while. I didn’t mean to worry you,” She explained as she started walking through the parking lot she had left her car in.

“ _It’s okay, Andy. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. What do you want for dinner?_ ” Jenna asked.

“Chinese?”

“ _Ah, a niece after my own heart. I’ll order the usual. See you in twenty?_ ”

“See you then, Jen,” As Andy hung up her phone, she walked through a set of cars. Slipping her phone into her pocket, she looked up and was surprised to see Jules pepper spraying Caroline. Andy pulled out her phone and dialed the first name that popped into her mind as she watched Caroline turn to run, only to be shot by a man who had appeared out of the shadows. He shot the blonde point blank in the head, causing Andy to freeze in fear.

“ _Hello, Andrea,_ ” Andy didn’t answer the voice as Jules turned and noticed her.

“Brady!” Jules exclaimed, pointing in her direction.

“ _Andrea?_ ” Elijah repeated in worry.

“I… may need some help with some werewolves,” Andy said, her voice cracking. Brady made it over to her and grabbed her phone before crushing it in his hands.

“You really shouldn’t have done that,” He said, dropping the pieces to the ground.

“Wait, Brady!” Jules called out. “That’s Elena Gilbert’s twin. We’ll need her.” Brady turned back to look at her with an impassive expression for a moment. Suddenly, Andy felt her head collide with something hard before her vision blurred and her thoughts slipped away from her.

* * *

When Andy started to wake up, she was acutely aware of her headache. Groaning, she went to raise her hand to her head, only to find her hands were stuck together. Her eyes popped open as she sat up and took in her surroundings. She was in a cage with her hands bound together with a zip tie. The cage was in what appeared to be an RV. In the cage with her was Caroline, who had blood on her shirt and on her forehead from where the bullet had entered.

“Andy!” The blonde exclaimed as she moved loser. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, just a bit foggy… I should be asking you if you’re okay. I saw you get shot in the head,” Andy replied, her eyes going to the blood on her forehead.

“I’m okay, don’t worry. I healed up after I got the bullet out,” Caroline explained.

“Why did they take us? Why do they need us?” She questioned.

Caroline sighed. “I think it has something to do with Mason.”

“Who Damon killed,” Andy sighed as well. “Great so now we’re going to die just because Damon had to kill someone… Have you tried unlocking the cage? You’re a vampire. You have the strength to break it, don’t you?”

“That man was here for a while. I pretended to be asleep,” She admitted as she scooted over to the lock. “But I can try now.”

Andy watched as she fiddled with the lock. She recalled calling Elijah and wondered if he would come. She wasn’t sure why he was the one who came to her mind, but he had made a promise to Elena that none of her loved ones were going to be hurt. Surely, he would hold up his end of the deal despite their captors not being Klaus.

Just then, the RV door opened and the man, Brady, came walking in with a gun. Caroline immediately stopped messing with the lock and leaned back, putting herself in front of Andy.

“I see you got the bullet out. That was nasty. I got lots of wooden bullets, other toys. It's gonna be a long night, sweet pea,” Brady said as he took a seat in front of them. He looked over at Andy. “Sorry about hitting you. I didn’t mean to do it so hard. Hopefully, the black eye won’t be too bad.”

“Hopefully it won’t be too painful when you get killed,” Andy replied dryly. He raised an eyebrow and leaned forward, positioning the gun so she could see it clearly.

“You’re a human. You couldn’t hurt me if you tried.”

“No, but I called someone who could hurt you,” Andy explained. Caroline was looking at Andy with a pleading look to shut up, but the doppelganger wasn’t about to back down. “That is if either of us is hurt. I don’t know what your plan is, but I would be careful about your next steps.”

“I don’t understand how a human can be a vampire sympathizer. They feed on your kind. They’ve probably feed on you before without you knowing,” He pointed out. “Do you want to be one of them or something?”

“No. I don’t like vampires. I don’t like werewolves. Witches seem pretty okay but I haven’t met many. But they’re my friends. Well, not all of them,” Andy leaned her back against the bar and looked at him evenly. “But the one who did kill Mason, who you’re presumably looking for, he’s going to be upset when he sees a black eye on my face. I’d watch out for him if I were you.”

“I think I’ll be okay,” Brady replied, looking at her in irritation. Before either of them could say more, the door opened to reveal Jules. She was on the phone with someone as she came to stand next to Brady. He stood up and looked at her in question.

“He needs proof.” She said, gesturing to their hostages. Before Andy could react, Brady had shot Caroline in the arm. She screamed out in pain and Andy watched in shock. Jules then pointed to Andy. “Her as well.”

Suddenly, Andy felt a stinging sensation in her stomach. Looking down, she saw red begin soaking her shirt. Another bullet pierced her hand, causing her to give a yelp out. Jules turned and left the RV while Brady sat back down in satisfaction.

“Now you can become a vampire if you want,” Brady commented to her. Andy felt woozy as she finally looked up to see Caroline was watching her in shock.

“Oh my god… Andy!” Caroline quickly moved over to her and bit into her own wrist before offering it. “You need to drink or you’ll die.”

Andy stared at the blonde’s wrist in uncertainty. She knew that it healed, but didn’t know how to feel about drinking blood. Finally, she nodded and allowed Caroline to bring her wrist closer. However, Caroline was shot by Brady in the leg.

“I think it’d be more interesting if Andy doesn’t drink until your friends get here. Every time you try to give her blood I’ll shoot you. I’d hate to shoot you in the head again, but I’ll do it if I have to.” Brady said, waving the gun around.

“She’s going to die!” Caroline said.

“She’s a vampire sympathizer. I don’t have much tolerance for those,” Brady shot back as he leaned back.

Andy looked over at the blonde with a weak smile. “Don’t worry, Care. I’ll be fine.”

Caroline started tearing up and went to take the bullet out from her leg. Andy leaned her head back and noticed she was still not feeling as much pain as she thought she would. She was sure it was because she was in shock, but it was a weird feeling knowing how much blood was pouring out of her now.

“So, how many vampires are there in this town anyway?” Brady asked. Neither of the girls answered so Brady shot Caroline with a squirt gun filled with vervain causing her to scream again. “No?”

Caroline kicked at the bars in anger. “Why are you doing this to us?! Why are you doing this? _Why_?”

“You're a vampire. Why not?” He used a blowgun to shoot wooden darts in her neck. She screamed again and Andy leaned her head forward to glare at the man. “I'm sorry, what was that?”

“Let us out!” Caroline demanded, her voice hoarse as the tears began flowing freely down her face.

“Excuse me? What was that?”

She continued kicking and screaming. “Let us out!”

“I’m going to laugh whenever they get here and beat the shit out of you,” Andy said with a scowl.

“I’d save your energy,” Brady said as he stood. He looked at them both for a moment before focusing on Caroline. “If I come back and she’s healed, I’ll shoot her in the head. There won’t be any coming back from that except as a vampire.” With that, Brady left the RV.

“I’m so, so sorry, Andy,” Caroline said, grabbing her hand and squeezing it.

“Don’t apologize. If I wanted to become a vampire I’d let you feed me your blood, but… well, you know,” Andy said tiredly, feeling like she was about to fall asleep.

“You have to stay awake, Andy. Don’t leave me alone here,” Caroline begged, her grip getting tighter.

Andy chuckled. “We used to hate each other. Now, look at us. I guess we are the definition of ‘ride or die.’”

Caroline laughed half-heartedly as well. “I never hated you. I envied you maybe, but I didn’t hate you.”

“That’s a shock. Maybe this black eye is payback for the one I gave you freshman year,” Andy pointed out and Caroline smiled small. “Why would you envy me? Elena is the one that was the golden child. Not that my parents ever acted like it of course… but she’s always been good.”

“You still had a lot I didn’t. I don’t know. Do you really want our last conversation to be about how much I hate my life?” Caroline asked.

“Fair enough,” Andy squeezed her hand. “I—”

“Wait,” Caroline moved her hair and listened intently. “Damon and Stefan are here… They’re about to fight the pack… Oh my god, there’s so many werewolves,” Caroline moved to the door and tried to reach the latch. “I—I can’t get it!”

“Feed me your blood, Caroline. I’m no use to anybody,” Andy said. Caroline turned to look at her in worry.

“Andy, he said—”

“I know, but if they’re going to fight then we need to run given the chance. He may kill me anyway just to get back at Damon and Stefan for Mason’s death. My only shot is this, but you need to remove the bullets,” Andy said. Caroline sighed before she moved closer. She shot Andy a sympathetic look before digging her fingers into her stomach wound. Andy bit down on the side of her cheek and dug her fingernails into her palms. Soon, Caroline had removed both bullets and was offering her bloody wrist. Andy drank it, tasting the iron. Her nose scrunched up but she continued drinking until she felt her wounds close. She pulled back and sighed in relief, looking at where her wounds had been. The skin was perfect and look untouched.

Before they could say another word, the door to the RV opened. Looking in worry at one another they grabbed each other’s hands. However, both sighed in relief when Tyler walked around the corner.

“Tyler!” Caroline exclaimed as she moved back to the bars. “Tyler, there's a latch on the door and I can't get to it.” Tyler hesitated, glancing at them both before looking at the latch. “Tyler?” Caroline repeated, seeing his hesitation. “Tyler, please! Tyler?”

He finally walked toward the cage and opened it for them. Caroline pulled Andy with her as they rushed passed Tyler, both throwing him an uncertain look. They rushed out of the RV, but suddenly Caroline was grabbed by Jules and shoved her face-first against the RV and put a gun to her back.

Andy immediately punched Jules without thinking, causing her to stumble. Looking up she saw Tyler who had just been standing there and not moving to help.

“Andy, run!” Caroline called to her as she prepared to fight Jules. Andy started backing away but was uncertain of leaving her friend. Suddenly, all the werewolves except Tyler began to scream in pain. They all covered their ears with their hands and fell to their knees.

“What's happening?” Caroline questioned.

The werewolves all passed out. “What the hell is going on?” Tyler asked.

Andy looked over to see that a man had walked into the clearing as well, holding his palms up. He was clearly older than forty, but he still looked young despite his stern expression. She had served him multiple times at the Grill. Stefan and Damon both stood, causing Andy to notice them for the first time. “Elijah made a promise to Elena. I'm here to see it's upheld. You need to go. Get out of here. Now.” The man said.

Stefan and Damon exchanged a look with Caroline. Damon glanced over Andy making sure she was okay before he and his brother sped off. Caroline grabbed Andy’s hand to get her to leave, but she shook her head.

“Tyler will give me a ride. Go,” Andy told her. Caroline was about to argue but Andy cut her off. “I’ll be fine, okay? I want to talk to him about what happened. Please.”

Caroline hesitated before nodding. She sped off, leaving the three of them there. The man looked over at Tyler. “When your friends awaken, give them a message: They need to get the hell out of this town or next time it won’t be me that comes for them,” He said before looking over at Andy. “You need to get out of here as well.” With that, he turned to leave.

Immediately Andy jogged over to him. “Wait!” She called as she caught up with his fast pace. “What’s your name?”

He glanced at her. “Jonas Martin.”

“Did Elijah send you or…?” She asked after a moment of silence.

“Yes. After he received an alarming call from you,” He explained.

“Can you take me to him?”

He stopped and looked over at her with a raised eyebrow. “Why?”

“I-I just need to talk to him,” Andy answered. She didn’t know why she just wanted to find out more about him. “He has some of my family things. I want them.”

“Get in,” Jonas answered as they came upon his car. She climbed in the passenger seat and the two rode in silence for a few.

“What do you know about Elijah?” Andy asked him.

“I know he’s an Original,” Jonas said. “There’s not much else to know about him. Other than he is a man of his word and wishes to kill Klaus.”

“But why does he want to kill Klaus?” She pushed.

“I don’t care that he wants to kill Klaus. And I don’t care to ask him questions he might not like,” Jonas gave her a firm look. “Something you might learn from.”

“He doesn’t scare me,” She admitted. “You said it yourself, he’s a man of his word. He gave his word he wouldn’t allow any of Elena’s loved ones to be hurt.”

“You’re young. You trust too easily,” He noted. “It will change in time.”

The rest of their ride remained silent. Andy watched out the window and slowly she began recognizing the houses they were passing. She looked over at Jonas in irritation. “Where are you taking me?”

“Home,” Jonas replied.

“You told me you’d take me to Elijah.”

“No, I told you to get in the car,” He pointed out. Andy huffed and sat back in her seat. They pulled up to her house and she started to get out, but he grabbed her wrist. She looked back at him with a scowl. “Let me give you some advice, Andrea: don’t get involved with an Original.”

Andy watched him for a second before he let go of her wrist. She got out of her car and turned to watch as Jonas drove off. Sighing, she turned to go into her house, wondering how Jonas and Elijah began working together. Jonas had vouched for the Original, but he could just be saying that. For all they knew, both men could be working for Klaus. She did know one thing: she would find out if Elijah’s intentions were true before Klaus came to town.

**_~ * • ° • ° • * ~_ **


	10. Trust

**_Poison & Wine – Chapter X_ **

**_~ * • ° • ° • * ~_ **

“I’m still upset you left me hanging,” Jenna said to Andy. The doppelganger sighed and looked over at her with a frown. Her aunt was referring to the previous night when Andy and Caroline had been kidnapped. By the time, Andy made it home, she found Jenna asleep on the couch, with empty Chinese containers. She had forgotten of their plans and profusely apologized this morning. Her punishment for that and “losing” her phone was to accompany Jenna to the Historical Society’s Tea Party.

“I’m still upset you ate my Chinese,” Andy replied as they got out of the car. The event was being held at the Lockwood mansion. Andy donned a royal blue dress and brown flats, another punishment decided by Jenna. She wrapped her arms around her waist as they walked toward the mansion.

“Next time don’t play me,” Jenna teased, playfully nudging her. “I would make plans with you tonight but I’m scared of getting my heart broken again.”

Andy flipped her off with a smile. “What is this even for?”

“For that historian Elijah,” Jenna replied, causing Andy to look over at her in surprise. “He’s writing a book on Mystic Falls, Andy. Carol wants to give him a proper welcome.”

Andy remembered her conversation with Elena yesterday. Jenna needed to know, but Andy didn’t want to spring it on her just before this event. “Hey, Jen?”

“Mhm?” Jenna hummed.

“Can we do dinner tonight? Just me and you? Maybe Elena and Jeremy if they’re not busy. And Alaric, if he wants. I think it’d be nice,” Andy explained. Jenna looked at her in slight worry. “Nothing to worry about, okay? Just feel like it’s been a while since we had a night.”

“Of course, Andy. Are you sure everything’s okay?” She asked as they came to a stop at the front doors.

“Yeah, don’t worry! Really, it’s okay,” Andy assured before she walked into the mansion. There was already a decent amount of people here and Andy glanced around for any familiar faces she might find. Her gaze jumped to Carol before slipping who she was speaking to.

Elijah.

Andy sucked in a breath as she noticed him. He looked handsome in his three-piece suit, his brown hair styled in the same curtain look as usual. She glanced over his angular features, wondering just how old he really was. If he was an Original, he had been around for much longer than Stefan and Damon combined.

Just then, Elijah’s hazel brown eyes found hers. The two stared at one another for a long moment before Andy’s attention was diverted.

“Your first time seeing him?” Jenna asked.

“Huh?” Andy questioned, turning to look at her aunt.

“That’s Elijah, the historian? I figured you spoke to him about the files since you asked for his number,” Jenna explained.

“Oh, yeah,” Andy murmured, glancing back to see he was looking back at Carol. She wondered if he was listening to their conversation at this moment or if he was truly paying to Carol. Not that he would have any reason to listen in on her and Jenna’s conversation.

“You weren’t too rude to him, were you?”

“No, of course not,” She replied. “I simply let him know that the files were not to be harmed. Don’t worry, Jen. I’m not _always_ an embarrassment.”

“You’re not an embarrassment, kid,” Jenna said, slinging an arm around her shoulders and directing them to the refreshments table. “But I did want to thank you for not making me come to this alone. Even if you abandoned me last night, it’s pretty cool of you to hang out with your crazy aunt for one day.”

“You’re my favorite aunt so obviously, I’m going to hang with you. Besides we all know I have no life outside school and work,” Andy noted as she poured herself a glass of tea. Jenna chuckled with a shake of her head and took a sip of her own glass. Turning to glance around the room, Andy noticed someone else who had just arrived. Her nose crinkled at seeing Damon walk in. “You have got to be kidding me.”

Jenna turned to see what Andy had been looking at and sighed. “Of course _he’s_ here. Hold this I’ll be right back.”

“Jenna—” Andy started but her aunt had already made a beeline for Damon. Andy smiled small as she watched her aunt charging to tell Damon off. She watched with satisfying until another woman approached them and kissed Damn on the lips. Andy froze up for a moment, watching as the two pulled away from the kiss and smiled.

Feeling a rush of anger and hurt, Andy sat the glasses she was holding down and went to go find the bathroom. She was beginning to feel dizzy and just needed to get away from Damon. She wasn’t jealous as much as she thought; no instead she felt bad for the woman. She wasn’t sure why she was hurt by seeing Damon kiss someone else. She had never been with him and yet what he had done to her the other night, she still cared enough about him to be hurt by seeing him “move on.”

As she made her way to the bathroom, she passed by Carol and Elijah. She didn’t even notice them until Carol stepped in her way and pulled her into a hug.

“Andy! I’m so glad you could come,” Carol said as she pulled away from the hug. “I know you haven’t gone to one of these in a while but I think it’s good for you. I’ve been so busy I feel like we haven’t been able to actually speak in a while.”

Andy smiled small at the woman. The two had always been on friendly terms since she dated Tyler. Andy was just glad that she seemed to be doing well despite everything going on. She did wonder how much Carol knew about the supernatural though, especially with her son being a werewolf. “It’s good to see you too, Carol. It has been a while. I guess I’ve been busy with work.”

Andy swayed on her feet slightly, feeling suddenly sick to her stomach. However, Carol wasn’t going to let her escape so easily. “Oh, where are my manners! Elijah, this is Andrea Gilbert. She may be able to help you as well. Her mother was into local history and I believe some of it rubbed off on her. Andy, this is Elijah Smith, the historian writing on Mystic Falls.”

“Nice to meet you,” Andy said quickly, her eyes darting to him as she got a stomach cramp. She put a hand on her stomach and did her best to look at him evenly, but Elijah watched her in slight concern.

“You as well,” Elijah said, glancing her over. “Are you feeling well, Andrea?”

“Uh, yeah, I’m just a little… little light-headed,” Andy answered.

“Maybe a drink would make you feel better?” Andy stiffened at the voice. Damon walked up and stopped next to her, looking at her in concern as well. “I hear the tea is delicious and this _is_ a Tea Party.”

Andy did her best to hide her contempt but was certain she was scowling at him. “I’m sorry, Carol, I need to go. Excuse me,” She turned away from them and started to walk toward the bathrooms. As she did, she suddenly felt as if her dress was wet. She looked down and nearly fell over when she saw the red that was beginning to soak the front of it and was even dripping down onto the ground. Her arm began aching and she looked to see that the exact place she had been shot was now open and bleeding.

Rushing into the bathroom, Andy collapsed onto the ground gasping. She lifted her dress to see that the bullet wound had reopened on her stomach. Her hand was aching, the same hand Brady had shot her in, and she found that it was now bleeding as well. But wasn’t vampire blood supposed to leave you healed? She had drunk Caroline’s blood for sure, so why wasn’t she okay now?

Suddenly Andy was throwing up on the floor and all of it was red. She wasn’t sure how this was going to be explained to Carol Lockwood that one of her spotless bathrooms had blood and vomit all over it. She glanced around in a haze for her phone only to remember she hadn’t gotten a replacement yet. She was supposed to go after the party to get another one. She had no way to contact anyone to send in help, even if she did Elena was at the lake house with Stefan. Her only hope was that Damon would come help her, and even then, she didn’t want to see him. However, she couldn’t afford to be picky now.

“Andrea,” She looked up to hear the voice on the other side of the door.

“No, don’t come—” Before she could even finish her sentence, Elijah had opened the door and was staring at her crumpled figure on the ground surrounded by blood and throw up. _Seductive as always_ , Andy thought dryly as she looked up at him with a mix of worry, fear, and embarrassment at her current state. “I’m fine—”

“I smell your blood, Andrea,” He didn’t hesitate in walking over to her and biting into his wrist to offer her blood. She had stared in awe for a moment at his vampire face despite only catching a brief glance.

“No, I drank blood already,” Andy turned her head and wanted to throw up at the sight. “The werewolves… they shot me and Caroline gave me her blood right after it happened but this… I was healed up.”

Elijah looked at her in concern before he ripped a piece of his shirt off and ordered her to press it against her wound. Then, he swept her up in his arms.  “Elijah, I-I’m fine! You’re getting your suit dirty,” She protested as she tried to squirm but it only made her wounds hurt and caused her to wince in pain.

“Stop protesting. You’re coming with me,” He said sternly.

“But the party—”

“The party can wait,” He replied. “Now close your eyes or you’ll get dizzy.”

She did as he commanded and suddenly felt the rush of wind against her face. When it stopped, she found herself being put into a car by him. “Elijah, really, I can get someone else to help me,” She continued as he sped around to the driver’s side.

“I promised your sister I wouldn’t allow her loved ones come to any harm. Where would I be if I don’t uphold that?” Elijah said, giving her a look that told her that this was the end of the argument. She remained silent as he presumably called Jonas and told him to be ready in five minutes and to have his medical utensils ready. Once he was done, he glanced her over as he sped down the road. “How are you feeling?”

“Dizzy,” She admitted, closing her eyes and leaning her head back.

“Don’t fall asleep,” He ordered.

“It’s going to be hard when you’re acting like this is _Crazy Taxi_ ,” She pointed out. There was a moment of silence before Andy spoke up again. “Carol isn’t going to be happy when she notices the guest of honor has left. She puts a lot of stock into those events.”

“There are more important things than a tea party, Andrea,” He reminded her. She opened her eyes and turned her head to look at him.

“Am I needed for the sacrifice?” She asked him.

He looked over at her, a flash of amusement in his eyes. “You’re profusely bleeding in my front seat and you want to know if you are going to be a part of the sacrifice?”

“It would be a nice ‘fuck you’ to Klaus if he needs both doppelgangers and travels this way to find out one was taken out by a bullet,” Andy stated with a dry smile. “And then maybe he’d leave my family alone.”

“He wouldn’t… Forgive me, it’s not a topic we should discuss while you’re in this state,” He glanced down at her dress. “I will find you other clothes once you are patched up.”

“It’s fine, really. Talking about him isn’t making me tired. He wouldn’t, what?”

Elijah was quiet for a moment before speaking up again. “He wouldn’t leave your family alone even if you weren’t alive and needed for the sacrifice. He would make certain he kept track of your line, make sure that Elena married and had children. Then he would wait for the next set of doppelgängers. He isn’t a patient man, but if he needed to wait another few years he would.”

“And he wouldn’t hesitate to hurt any of Elena’s loved ones,” Andy sighed. “Well, you’re certainly the best option we all have, even if I don’t entirely trust you.” He looked over at her with a raised eyebrow. “Hey, this could just be you kidnapping me. You were going to take us when Rose and Trevor offered us up. Maybe you see this as an easy way to get ahold of a doppelganger.”

“If I wanted to kidnap you, I would have already, Andrea,” Elijah pointed out. “Your friends, while strong and loyal, are nothing compared to me in a battle.”

“I believe you,” Andy leaned her head back and held the cloth to her wound. “I’ll buy you another suit.”

“You will do no such thing.”

“Then I guess I’ll have my own expensive suit.”

Elijah glanced over at her in amusement. “You would certainly make one look good.”

Andy felt her cheeks heat up. She was glad for once that she was hurt so she could use that as her excuse. “Damn right I would. I would make even _you_ jealous,” She said, earning another amused look from him. “Where are you taking me?”

“To Jonas. I assume you remember him,” He responded.

She nodded and groaned in pain. “It hurts so much more today…”

“That’s because you’re not in shock,” He noted.

“Thanks for sending Jonas last night,” She replied, her voice becoming soft as she felt herself starting to fall asleep. Elijah immediately pressed further down on the gas. She groaned, feeling as if she was going to throw up again.

“I should’ve dealt with it myself but… Well, I was out of town,” He admitted, reaching over and putting a comforting hand over hers. “You need to stay awake, Andrea. We are almost there.”

She sat forward and began vomiting blood again. If she wasn’t feeling as if she was on death’s doorstep, she would have been mortified. However, she had different concerns now.

The car came to an abrupt stop, almost sending Andy forward but his arm stopped her from lurching forward. Her door was opened and Elijah scooped her up in his arms, ordering her to close her eyes. She felt the wind against her face as he ran. When they stopped, she kept her eyes closed, feeling herself slowly falling asleep.

“What happened?” She heard Jonas asking as she was laid down on a soft surface.

“Her body didn’t accept the vampire blood,” Elijah replied.

“Jen… Jenna…” Andy opened her eyes and fought to look at Elijah, but her vision was beginning to blur. “She needs to know…”

“Sh, Andrea… I’ll make sure she knows you’re safe,” Elijah murmured to her. She leaned her head back and groaned as she felt Jonas checking her wounds. Feeling exhaustion take over her body, she fell limp with Elijah being the last thing she saw.

**_~ * • ° • ° • * ~_ **


	11. Middle of the First Rank

**_Poison & Wine – Chapter XI_ **

**_~ * • ° • ° • * ~_ **

_“They are always getting into fights with one another,” Andy looked over to see a young blonde, her blue eyes watching Elijah and the blue-eyed man sword fighting. The blonde turned to face her with amusement. “I wonder who it is they have to impress?”_

_“Please, Rebekah. You know Nik likes Tatia,” Andy said, looking over at the men. “He has always had a soft spot for her.”_

_“I believe there is someone else in that battle who has a soft spot for_ you _, Ana,” Rebekah said, looking over to them as well. Elijah had won and looked over to Rebekah and Andy with a smile. Andy found herself smiling back at him, feeling as if her heart was fluttering. The blue-eyed man who she had referred to as Nik stood and went to attack Elijah. They rolled around on the ground, causing Andy to laugh._

_“It seems as if you might have a soft spot for him as well.”_

As Andy found herself waking up, she felt the names Nik and Rebekah floating around her head. “Rebekah… He’s like a brother to me.” She said aloud, her mind hanging onto the dream she had just woken from.

Opening her eyes, Andy saw a white ceiling and sat up, momentarily forgetting what she had gone through. She looked around the room. It was entirely white, not another color in sight other than the darkness that was coming from outside. The bed was comfortable but certainly not hers as she recalled Elijah taking her somewhere to get help. She had been so out of it she hadn’t even thought to look where he was taking her.

As she moved to stand up, she became acutely aware of the pain in her stomach. Looking down she found herself in a t-shirt. Her cheeks heated up as she tried to think of who had dressed her. Lifting her shirt, she saw her wound was dressed but still hadn’t healed. She guessed after her initial reaction to the blood they found it wise not to do a test run when she had a stab wound in her stomach.

Her leg was also patched up, but she had a killer headache. Groaning she moved to get up, only to pause when she saw the door had opened and in the doorway stood Elijah.

“Andrea,” He greeted. She immediately put her legs under the cover, aware that she was only in underwear. “How are you feeling?”

“Kind of shitty,” She admitted, her hand going to her wound. He smiled small and approached her. She noticed he had a glass of water in one hand and a pill bottle in the other. “If those are for me, I swear to whatever deity is up there I will buy you a thousand suits, Armani or whatever brand you prefer.”

“Be careful what you promise,” He commented as he sat down next to her. He handed her the glass and took out two pills for her. “This should help with the headache. With the pain, however…”

“It’s okay,” She said as she took the pills from him, ignoring the chills that broke across her skin as their hands brushed one another. “I wouldn’t let me have pain pills either.” Her mind flashed back to last year and she shook her head. “But that’s a story for another time.”

He watched her closely as she took the pills and drank the entire glass of water. He raised an eyebrow at her and she just sheepishly smiled before glancing at the darkened sky through the window.

“How long have I been out?” She asked.

“Only for a few hours. The sun just set a few minutes ago, though I anticipated you would sleep the entire night,” He admitted.

“Who dressed me?” She asked, looking back at him. “And I guess should ask who bathed me as well considering I was covered in blood and vomit. Sorry about your car and suit by the way…”

“I assumed you would be more comfortable with a woman cleaning you up. She was very nice and told me she liked your tattoo,” Elijah commented, the amusement shining in his eyes.

“Oh, my god,” Andy put her face in her hands. “Listen, it was a very dark time—”

“I have no clue what it was,” He admitted. “I agreed and didn’t question.”

She sighed in relief. “Well, that makes me feel a little better.”

“As for the car and suit, I have plenty more. I am more concerned with why your friend’s blood did not heal you,” He said, his hand coming to brush the hair from her eye. She remembered the black eye Brady had probably given her that had been healed with Caroline’s blood. It was probably visible now and she cursed. There would be no hiding that from Jenna when she got home. It wouldn’t be hard to hide her other wounds at least.

“Does Jonas have any clue why?” Andy questioned.

“No, he does not. Other than it being because you are a doppelganger,” He explained. “Has Elena ever had this problem?”

“Not that I know of,” She tried to remember, but her brain was still foggy. “I-I don’t know. Not since I’ve known about vampires and that’s not been more than a couple weeks.”

The two sat in silence for a moment. Andy looked over to see a pair of clothes was sitting on the dresser and they appeared to be for her. She hoped they were because she felt herself still blushing from sitting without pants on next to Elijah, even if she was under a cover. He made her nervous for sure, but it was more her not wanting to parade herself around a vampire. Though, if he was going to feed on her, she was certain he would have already.

“You must wish to return home,” He said as he stood, pulling her attention from the clothes. “Those are for you. I will be waiting downstairs for whenever you are ready, Andrea.”

He began to walk out of the room. “Elijah,” She said, causing him to pause to look back at her. “Thank you.” He smiled small and nodded before closing the door behind him.

Standing on shaky legs, Andy headed toward the clothes. There was a plain white t-shirt like the one she had on now and a pair of blue jeans. A green and black flannel sat off to the side with a pair of slip-on black shoes. Seeing another door she figured was the bathroom, she found herself staring into an empty closet. She tried the second door and sure enough found the bathroom. She did her business and changed, avoiding glancing in the mirror until she had changed. Even then, she had wished she hadn’t.

Her hair was a frizzy mess and she was getting a black eye. The skin around her right eye had yellowed and was transitioning into a darker color. She sighed in relief when she saw some makeup on the counter, something she had figured Elijah had left for her. She did her best to cover it and hoped Jenna wouldn’t notice it, at least until they got to speak about vampires. Then she would explain how she had been kidnapped by a bunch of werewolves and saved by a witch. There were a couple of hairbows off the side and a hairbrush, so Andy brushed through her hair, which only made it frizzy, and struggled to get it into a side braid but eventually was able to.

Once she was finished, Andy walked over to the window in the bedroom and looked down. They were in an apartment just on the outskirts of town. She figured this would be the best place for Elijah to lay low in Mystic Falls.

Walking out into the hallway, Andy noted how empty it felt. It hardly felt as if anyone lived in here. There were no picture frames or decorations on the wall. She went to where she heard music playing, only to stop when she turned a corner and saw Elijah at the piano. _This is a_ Twilight _moment if I ever saw one_ , she thought to herself as she watched his fingers glide effortlessly across the keys. He looked slightly more relaxed than she had seen him before, with his shoulders not being as tight. She drew a little closer to him, curious how his expression looked.

As she walked around the living room, she ignored everything else in the room and focused on him. She felt herself feeling as though she wasn’t as stressed anymore. She felt as calm as he looked in this moment, his expression serene. She felt as if she was playing the piano, feeling the piano keys tingle beneath her fingertips. He looked up at her briefly and caught her expression but continued playing until he hit the end of the song.

“Are you ready?” He asked as he looked up at her again.

She stared at him a moment, still feeling mesmerized by the scene until she could finally process his question. “Uh, sorry,” She turned and glanced around the room, wondering what she had just felt. It seemed as if she wasn’t herself for a moment. “Can we wait a few more minutes? I think I need to collect myself.”

“Of course, Andrea,” He replied, turning to face the piano and playing a few notes.

Andy glanced around the room to see that the living room looked like the bedroom and hallway. There was basic furniture, but past that there were no decorations other than a chess table in the corner of the room. She wondered how a piano even made it into the room. “You don’t plan on staying long?” She asked him as she walked over to the chess table and running her fingers over the pieces.

“Well, soon enough I expect to be ready to lure Klaus out. I almost have everything necessary and the next full moon is only a couple weeks away,” He explained, looking up at her. She turned to face him with a pensive expression. “Do you want to play a game?”

“Chess? Oh god, no I don’t know how to even play,” Andy admitted sheepishly as she picked up a black piece that had what looked like a crown around the top and a dot at the tip. “Elena used to play with my dad all of the time, but I’ve always been more a checkers person. I could never get all of the pieces down, though it wasn’t from lack of trying.” She chuckled, remembering the family game nights in which her father had tried to teach her how to play but she would never have the patience. She had always preferred card games anyway.

“That,” Elijah said as he came to stand next to her. She turned to him as he took the chess piece from her. “Is the Queen. It is the most powerful piece in the game of chess, able to move any number of squares vertically, horizontally or diagonally.”

“I’ve always wondered why the Queen is the most powerful. Assuming this game was made by a man, you’d think he would place all the power in men like the rest of history,” Andy commented.

Elijah smiled small. “Yes, the game is quite contradictory. The queen has mobility—the crucial barometer of power in the game—but less value, as the game can continue without her; the hobbled king is relatively powerless until the end of the game but nonetheless is the most valuable piece without whom the game ceases.”

“That seems rather stupid, doesn’t it? I mean, why can’t the King and Queen be equal?”

“I suppose we would have to ask the creators,” Elijah answered, placing the Queen back into her hand.

“Creators never answer from my experience. And my parents used to make me go to church every Sunday for sixteen years so it wasn’t from lack of trying either,” Andy replied with a smile.

“Perhaps someday I can teach you the entire game. That is if you’re willing to learn it,” Elijah said, his hazel brown eyes tracing her face. “It will be hard if you’re not invested.”

“Maybe I will, but I’ll be easy to predict. I’ll just use the Queen every time to win,” Andy said, causing a smile to curl on his lips. They watched one another for a moment before she clutched the Queen in her hand with a sigh. She might regret this, but he was in the dreams so the very least she could do was ask him. “Can I ask you a question, Elijah?”

“I hardly think my permission would stop you, Andrea,” He replied with a small smile.

She smiled back before her expression turned serious again. “God, this is going to sound so freaking weird… and probably going to make you mad… I’ve been having these dreams…”

Elijah looked at her in confusion. “What sort of dreams?”

“Well, ones with you in them,” She admitted, folding her arms over her chest. “But you’re… different. Younger. Long hair… And you call me Anastasia.”

Watching as Elijah processed her words made her sick to her stomach. His expression remained stoic, but Andy felt as if she could feel his irritation and hurt. “Have you been speaking with Katerina?”

“What? No! I’m serious, Elijah,” She insisted, her brows furrowing. “I’m not trying to throw this in your face. I genuinely don’t know why for the past two weeks I’ve been having dreams about you and this other guy.”

“‘Other guy’?” He questioned.

“Blonde hair, blue eyes? He’s a vampire or at least every single time he pops up it’s to kill me or Elena,” She explained. “I heard someone call him Nik in my dream last night. I called her Rebekah.”

Elijah stared at her a moment before looking away and walking over to the window. He gazed out of it silently for a long moment. “I don’t believe this is a conversation for the moment. I believe your family is waiting for you.”

“I didn’t mean to make you angry, Elijah. I’m just telling you the truth. I thought maybe you’d do the same for me,” Andy said, a bit irritated herself. Elijah wanted them to trust him but they knew nothing about him. The little Andy might have found out was struck down by him immediately. She understood that he didn’t want to divulge too much personal info, but Andy wanted to trust him. She wouldn’t be able to freely trust him.

“My deal with Elena was not about personal information, Andrea. I protect her friends and—”

“I know the deal, Elijah,” Andy interrupted, causing him to look at her in slight irritation. “Listen, I don’t know anything about you. I get you probably don’t like talking about yourself. The bottom line I’m not going to let you use my sister as bait without knowing your true intentions, whether I like you or not. I may be human but I won’t stop if you screw us over. I may want to believe you are trustworthy, and so far, you have been, but trust doesn’t happen in an instance. I’m not telling you to give me your entire life story. I just need something to let me know that you’re better than Klaus. I did see you behead someone when we first met.”

Elijah stared at her a moment, his hazel brown eyes gazing into hers. She stood her ground and peered back at him. He began to open his mouth but was interrupted by his phone ringing. He sighed and answered it with an agitated tone. “Yes?” After a moment, he sighed. “I’ll handle them. Just find your son.”

“What’s going on?” Andy asked in worry as he hung up. She was afraid that “them” meant Stefan and Damon. Leave it to them to do something stupid.

“The werewolves have attacked Damon and are holding him hostage,” He explained before turning to look at her. “I suppose he counts as one of Elena’s loved ones, hm?”

Andy looked away with a scowl. “I guess he does.”

Elijah studied her for a moment before he approached her, causing her to look back up at him hesitantly. “I have no intention to betray your trust, Andrea. I am a man of my word.”

“But you gave your word to Elena that you would protect her loved ones. You never said anything about protecting her,” Andy noted with a weary look.

He was silent for a moment. “I give you my word that before we go to lure Klaus out, I will make sure you are informed about the entire plan. I won’t leave you in the dark.”

“I really hope I can trust you, Elijah,” Andy said before she turned and headed to what she assumed was the front door. “We should go save Damon now.”

She noticed that they got into a different car than earlier. Honestly, Andy still was embarrassed by how she thought she looked, especially because of the way Elijah had carried her… “Anastasia was the girl I look like, wasn’t she? The original one?” Andy asked, turning to look at him from the passenger seat. She watched as he clenched his jaw but nodded.

“Yes, she was.”

“So you did know her…” Andy trailed off before sighing. “You must be pretty old if that was really you I saw. You were sparring with the blond, Nik. Rebekah and I were talking off to the side watching you.” She gauged his reaction, which he was doing to keep minimal. “Is that because it actually happened?”

“Once or twice,” He finally admitted, turning his head to look at her. Suddenly his eyes no longer held the warm look she had grown accustomed to. She sighed again and turned away from him.

“I get you don’t want to talk about it, okay? Sorry for the interrogation,” She replied, watching out the window with a forlorn expression.

“Nik and Rebekah are my siblings,” She paused for a moment before she looked over at him in surprise. “Klaus took my family away from me. I intend to ensure he dies. Anastasia was the original doppelganger, who you look like. She wasn’t as… _boisterous_ as you.”

Andy watched him for a moment before responding. “That’s because I’m not her,” She pointed out, catching his gaze as he looked over at her. “I’m sorry about your family, Elijah. I appreciate you helping to keep mine together, even if that isn’t your job.”

He didn’t respond to her. Instead, he looked forward and remained silent for a long moment. “What is the nature of your relationship with Damon Salvatore?”

“Why? Thinking about courting him?”

He rolled his eyes as she gave him a wry smile. “You act as though you hate him. And yet from what I’ve gathered, you two were rather close these last few months,” He noted.

“Please don’t admit to stalking me,” She said with a raised brow. When he didn’t respond, she looked down at her hands and realized she had brought the Queen with her. She exhaled before she started explaining. “We were friends… I’d say we were close, but apparently not as much as I thought. Once I found out he was a vampire who killed my brother—that’s complicated—and that he was in love with my twin sister, it sort of puts a damper on the relationship. That doesn’t factor in when he killed a bunch of innocent people when he was upset that Rose died. Oh, and when he preceded to choke me just because I threw his bottle of vodka down. Yeah, _that_ was a fun night.”

She noted Elijah’s hands clench tighter on the steering wheel. “He choked you?”

“It was only for a few seconds. Doesn’t excuse it, but I figure he’ll eventually get his, right?” She shrugged again.

“If I let karma catch up to Klaus, I’m afraid I would be waiting another millennium,” He commented after a moment of thought. “He doesn’t deserve you, Andrea.”

“I know… wait, did you just say _another_ millennium?”

He threw a smile in her direction. “You did say I must be ‘pretty old.’”

Andy scoffed and looked forward. She was sitting in the same car as someone who had lived thousands of lives. She hadn’t even turned eighteen yet, but here was Elijah with his thousand plus years. She looked back over at him with raised eyebrows. “At least I was right about the pretty part. You look good for your age!”

He chuckled and shook his head. “I hardly think flirting with some man a thousand years your senior is appropriate.”

“I think if you flirt with me, that’s when it’s going to be even more inappropriate,” She countered, pointing an accusatory finger in his direction. “Don’t think I don’t remember that I was practically naked in front of you while covered in blood and sweat. I mean, you walked in on me in the bathroom without even knocking.”

“I assure you that any perverse thoughts were the last thing on my mind,” Elijah replied with a sly smile.

“I would sure hope you weren’t feeling all… sexual when I had vomit all over me. Otherwise, I definitely do not trust you,” She commented, noticing that they had just pulled into the Salvatore’s driveway. “You don’t think they killed him, do you?”

“No, they haven’t.” As Elijah parked he gave her a firm look. “Stay here.”

“Over my dead body,” Andy replied as she climbed out of the car. He gave her a weary look but continued into the house. She followed him through the familiar hallways until she heard a familiar voice.

“You know what the great thing about buckshot is? It scatters through the body. Maximum damage,” Jules said. Andy almost groaned when she heard the wolf. It had to be _her_ that was torturing Damon. “Where’s the moonstone?”

As she walked around the corner with Elijah, her eyes widened at the scene before her. Alaric's body lied on the floor of the parlor room, his body limp. She spotted the ring on his finger but still watched him in worry before looking over where Damon was. The Salvatore had been chained to a chair with a wooden spiked metal collar around his neck. The other werewolves in the room were standing around, with one holding two chains that were attached to Damon's spiked collar. Elijah leaned against a banister, just watching them as he produced the moonstone from his pocket. Andy stood behind him by a couple feet, not wishing to get near one of the werewolves.

“Get over it, honey. You're never gonna get it,” Damon snapped at her.

“You looking for this?” Elijah called out as he twirled the moonstone in his hand. Everyone turned to look at him. Andy looked over at Damon and saw he was looking at her in confusion. Elijah walked down the stairs further into the room and placed the moonstone on an end table before backing away.

“Go ahead. Take it,” He said to them.

One of the werewolves rushed towards the moonstone, but Elijah, being quicker, plunged his hand into the wolf's chest and ripped out his heart. The wolf fell down onto the couch, dead. Andy gasped and took a step back in fear. Two other wolves rushed at him and Elijah, without any effort, plunged his arms into their chests and ripped out their hearts as well. Jules immediately ran out of the house before she was killed. Elijah walked over to the man, who crouched down and pulled his jacket over his face in fear. Elijah pulled him up from the ground.

“What about you, sweetheart, hmm? Do you want to take a shot? Yes? No? Yes?” Elijah said to him before glancing around and noticing Jules was gone. “Where's the girl?”

Damon and Andy both glanced around. “I don't know,” The Salvatore answered.

“It doesn't really matter,” Elijah said flippantly before he punched the last werewolf in the face and dropping him to the floor. The werewolf laid unresponsive. Elijah then removed the chains strapping Damon down into the chair as Andy walked closer to the dead bodies, feeling nauseous as she stared at them. Their hearts laid out of their chests, no longer able to beat. Her mind flashed back to when she had seen Elijah decapitate Trevor and punch a hole through the guys in Slater’s apartment. Sure, these people might not entirely be innocent but still, watching them die was unsettling.

“So you realize this is the third time I've saved your life now?” Elijah commented, calling Andy’s attention back to him. She glanced to see he was talking to Damon before she crouched down next to one of the bodies and touched their skin, recoiling when she felt the still warm body. From the corner of her eye, she saw Elijah walk over to her and stop. She stared at the body for a few moments before she stood next to him, her gaze meeting Damon’s. She glanced at him to make sure he was okay before turning her back to him and following Elijah out as he grabbed the moonstone.

“Andy?” Damon called as she walked away. She glanced back once but continued walking. The two silently climbed in the car and started down the road. Andy felt the images of Elijah flash through her mind, causing her to feel as if she was going to vomit all over again.

“I did tell you to wait in the car, Andrea.” He murmured after a few moments.

“I guess I don’t take orders well, especially when a… friend is in danger,” She replied.

“I thought you two weren’t friends anymore.”

She kept looking out the window. “Thank you for saving him even if your honor bound to Elena. I’m not saying that they didn’t deserve it but… I don’t know. I guess taking any life is scary to me. Even if I throw out life-threatening words, I can’t carry that out, Elijah. You killed them without even thinking about it. How do you do that?”

“They got in the way of my goals,” He answered after a moment. “And that is your humanity. It is not always a bad thing, Andrea. Presumably, this world was made for humans after all. Vampires didn’t come until much later.”

Andy looked back over at him. “But Stefan doesn’t kill and he has his humanity. Caroline has her humanity left. Damon… he’s even got _some_. What about you?”

“I’m afraid that is a question I don’t even know the answer to,” He said, looking over to meet her gaze. She inhaled and nodded, looking forward.

“And Klaus?”

“I’m afraid that is a question I don’t even know the answer to,” He repeated after a moment. “Klaus is as old as I am. After a while, it can be hard to maintain a certain level of humanity.”

Andy looked back over at him. “Maybe you just haven’t spent enough time around humans.”

“No, I value human life. I _was_ human once too, Andrea. I remember the days as if they were yesterday.”

“Perhaps you can tell me about them someday… if you feel like it of course,” She added, watching his reaction.

He glanced over at her, keeping his expression blank. “I don’t think you would like many of my stories.”

“You don’t know me,” She pointed out, earning a raised eyebrow from him. “You don’t get to know me by asking people who live in town or whatever you ways used to find out that Damon and I used to be close. You get to know me by talking to me. This is one of the first real conversations we’ve had.”

He pulled up to her house and parked the car before looking over at her. “Perhaps one day I’ll tell you then. You can’t know my every secret after all.”

“I don’t think I’ve got enough years left for you to tell a millennium worth of stories,” She chuckled as she glanced up at the house. It was nearing nine o’clock but hoped that Jenna wasn’t going to be angry with her.

“You should head inside. Your aunt is waiting for you,” He said. “I told her you were called into work for the day.”

“She’s probably not going to believe that but… thank you,” She looked back over at him and gave him a weak smile. “Thank you for everything today.”

Elijah caught her wrist as she went to leave. She swallowed and looked over at him as she tried to ignore the fluttering in her chest. “There is a present waiting for you upstairs.”

She looked at him in confusion. “Elijah, I don’t—”

“No arguments. It was the least I could do for Elena’s loved ones,” He interrupted before he seemingly realized he still held her wrist. He let go of her and straightened up in his seat. She watched him for a moment before she held out the Queen in her palm.

“Wouldn’t want to lose your most valuable player, would you?” She asked him.

“No,” He said, maintaining eye contact with her as he took the piece. “I wouldn’t.”

Without saying anything more, she got out of the car and closed the car door. She turned and started walking toward the house, aware that he was still watching her.

Fortunately, the front door was unlocked so she was able to walk in without a problem. She walked over to the window and watched as Elijah drove off. She was aware of the conflicting feelings she was experiencing. On one hand, watching Elijah kill werewolves wasn’t her ideal day. On the other hand, well, talking with him made her want to trust him even more.

“Andy?” She jumped, turning to see Jenna standing a few feet in front of her with her eyebrows raised and arms crossed. “I see work went well. That your cute manager you’ve mentioned?” She gestured out the window.

“Jenna, I’m sorry for skipping out,” Andy sighed. “But you deserve to know the truth. Did you have any plans you made after I bailed?”

“Well, Ric was supposed to pick me up but I haven’t heard anything from him in a few hours,” Jenna admitted. “Is something wrong?”

“No, just… well, it’s complicated,” She admitted.

“You’re home late,” Andy turned to see John coming down the stairs.

“I had work,” Andy answered.

“Huh. It’s funny that you and Elijah both disappeared at the same time. We looked everywhere for you… but well, without a cell phone we couldn’t find you. I’m glad I did get to leave you a nice tip at the Grill though,” John said, his eyes shining with disapproval as he reached the end of the stairs.

“I don’t know what game you’re playing at,” Andy said as she took a step toward him.

“Just a funny coincidence is all,” John said before walking past them into the kitchen.

“Andy, what’s going on?” Jenna demanded, grabbing her niece’s arm.

“This is going to sound insane…” Andy turned back to face Jenna. John paused and turned to look at them. “But you’ve got to believe me. I don’t have exact proof at this moment but you know I’d never lie to you. I promised I wouldn’t.”

Jenna looked back in worry. “Andy…”

“Vampires are real. All of it is. Werewolves, witches… Stefan and Damon are vampires. Elena and I are doppelgangers of these people that the _original_ vampires knew and they need Elena for a sacrifice to break the hold the sun has on vampires,” Andy said in a rush, hoping that her words didn’t become too jumbled.

Jenna stared at her a moment before she headed for the stairs. “Maybe we can talk tomorrow when you’re not in a joking mood.”

“Jenna, wait!” Andy rushed after her but Jenna stopped and looked at her.

“Andy, this isn’t funny, okay? Whatever joke you’re trying to play is lame. I expected better from you,” Jenna said, a disapproving look on her face.

“I’m telling the truth, Jenna. For once I am not joking,” Andy said before gesturing to John, who had moved closer to watch the exchange. “John can back me up.” She looked at him expectantly but he just remained silent. Grunting Andy turned back to Jenna. “Let me show you something.” She lifted the flannel and furiously scrubbed at her black eye—which felt a lot worse than she anticipated—to reveal the black eye, though she knew not all of the makeup would come off.

Jenna gasped. “Who did that?”

“A werewolf who kidnapped me. He also did this,” She showed Jenna her stomach wound, causing her aunt to look even more worried. “This isn’t a joke, Jenna. I’ve been gone all day because I needed to get the wounds treated and I knew you’d freak if you found out.”

“Andy… a werewolf didn’t do this,” Jenna said, her gaze coming back up to meet hers. “I’m sorry, but this is too crazy. Have… have you talked to Dr. Ripley about this?”

Andy scoffed and shook her head. “Jenna, _you_ don’t even believe me. She’s my _therapist_. She’ll think I’m lying and send me away.”

“I can’t believe this,” Jenna admitted.

“It’s all true, Jenna,” John said, finally speaking up. “Have you ever looked through the Gilbert family files? Or Mystic Falls history in general? You’re a _researcher_ , just like your sister. You’ll find answers there if you don’t believe our words.”

Jenna looked back at Andy and studied her for a moment. She sighed, looking up at the ceiling. “This is crazy… I can’t do this now, _whatever_ this is. I’ve got to be up early. Just please… cut the vampire talk until tomorrow night when I’ve got the chance to look over all of this stuff and process it.”

“I’m sorry, Jenna,” Andy said with a frown. “I don’t mean to stress you out. You know me. You know I wouldn’t lie to you, not to this extent.”

Jenna sighed again before she leaned down and pressed a kiss to Andy’s forehead. “I know, Andy. Get some sleep, please.” Andy watched as Jenna walked up the stairs and disappeared into her room. Then she turned to John.

“I understand you’re concerned about me, but don’t mistake me for Alaric or Damon when you dance around the information you have that others don’t,” Andy said to him with a scowl. “Taunting the fact you know I wasn’t at work isn’t cool. I don’t care whether or not you backed me up in telling Jenna. I could have died at Carol Lockwood’s house.” He looked at her in confusion. “Yeah, apparently, my body doesn’t like vampire blood. I threw it up everywhere and my wounds opened. _Elijah_ helped me. Before you lecture me, I trust him as much as the next person, but he _did_ help me and Damon today. And so far, he’s told us more than you have.”

“Andy,” He said as she started walking up the stairs. She paused to look down at him. “Telling Jenna was smart. She needs to know.”

“I know. I wouldn’t have done it otherwise,” She replied.

John smiled small at her. “You sound like your father.” Andy watched him for a moment, wondering how it had felt all the years to be the disliked uncle when he was their father. How it felt to watch them call someone else “dad” and lean on him for support. Of course, Andy had never disliked John, especially when he had visited her nearly every day when she had been in rehab, but even she could admit he could be a little much sometimes.

“Thank you, John. Have a good night,” She said tiredly before walking up the stairs and heading into her room. She walked around the corner and jumped when she saw Damon sitting on the bed. She paused and looked at him with an exhausted expression. “Really? I thought I had gotten past all the emotional moments for the night.”

“Well, when you show up with an Original and then leave with him, I tend to get a bit worried,” Damon said as he stood and walked over to her. She crossed her arms and watched him cautiously. “Don’t look at me like that.”

“Like what? Like you put your hands around my throat and threatened to kill me?” She questioned.

“I wasn’t going to kill you,” He interjected.

“Could’ve fooled me,” She snidely stated as she walked over to her dresser and pulled a pair of pajama pants out.

“Elena and Alaric aren’t going to be happy you told Jenna,” Damon said after a moment.

“She needed to know. It’s not like she believed me,” Andy pointed out as she turned to face him again. “Unless you want to go give her a fang show but I’m fairly certain she would have a heart attack. Though I don’t really feel like going to the hospital at this hour.”

Damon shrugged. “Well, I guess you already went there earlier. Unless Elijah stitched you up himself?”

Andy gave him a wary look before she sat down on her bed. “My body rejected Caroline’s blood. You ever hear of that happening?”

His eyebrows furrowed as he looked down at her. “Definitely not.”

“Well, it happened. Elijah can attest to it. My wounds opened right back up and I threw up the blood all over Carol Lockwood’s bathroom,” Andy explained, lifting her shirt to show him the wound. “I didn’t get a chance to ask Elijah what excuse he used for the bathroom. Maybe you could sway Carol to not think someone was murdered in there.”

“So, Elijah helped you? That’s why you were with him?” He questioned.

“Yes. I also figured it’d be nice to get a feel for who he is,” Andy admitted. “Not that I learned much.” She decided to hold the personal information about Elijah to herself. He hardly wanted to tell her so she was sure Damon was the last person he would want to know this information.

“He could have killed you.”

“He could’ve, but he didn’t,” She pointed out. When he opened his mouth to speak she interrupted. “I trust him, Damon. I might not trust him when it comes to Elena, but he will protect us if Elena holds her end of the deal.”

“I guess you’ll be gobsmacked to hear that he has no intentions of stopping the sacrifice,” Damon revealed. Andy looked at him in confusion but he continued speaking before she could. “Bonnie interrogated Jonas’s son Luka earlier today while you were playing house. He intends to sacrifice her because only after the sacrifice will Klaus be weak enough to kill.”

Andy felt as if she had been slapped. She looked down and did her best to keep her expression neutral but she couldn’t lie that she hadn’t expected that at all. “Do we know this for certain?”

“I’m sure Elena knows,” Damon admitted. “After all, the _honorable_ man that Elijah is, wouldn’t be honest to her?”

“I'd appreciate it if you left,” Andy murmured, avoiding his gaze and instead fixating on the gift bag on her bed.

“This is for you by the way,” Damon held out a phone to her. “The note’s still in the bag. Figured I’d just make sure he wasn’t leaving you a heart.” When she took the phone from him, he sped away before she could say anything else.

Reluctantly, Andy walked over to the bed as she turned on the phone. She picked up the small card and unfolded it. “ _A replacement for your old one. My information is already programmed in there for you. – EM_.”  Andy ran her fingers over the initials as she sat down on her bed. She wondered what his last name really was. He had gone by Elijah Smith to the those in town, but clearly, his last name was different. Not that _she_ He was planning on sacrificing her sister to Klaus, the very man who had destroyed his family. He had given her his word that he would tell her everything before the sacrifice began and was now certain that it was because he knew Elena would have to be sacrificed.

Once the phone was turned on, Andy brought up the texts and sent a simple one: “We are going to have a long talk tomorrow.” She then laid her phone to the side, deciding that she would take Jenna’s route and not think about the supernatural for the rest of the night. She had enough of people manipulating her today as is.

**_~ * • ° • ° • * ~_ **


	12. Stained Red

**_Poison & Wine – Chapter XII_**

**_~ * • ° • ° • * ~_ **

Andy stood on her porch, staring out at the road waiting for Elijah to arrive. She had asked him to arrive early to his meeting with Jenna so they could talk. And boy, did she have a lot to say to him. She was sure he had an idea of what it was going to be about. As soon as his car pulled up, she was heading across the lawn toward him. He got out of the car and looked her over. She saw the realization in his eyes that she had found something out but he didn’t know what.

“Care to tell me why you’re sending my sister off to the slaughter?” She asked him as she approached.

He exhaled and glanced back at her home. “I was hoping Elena would keep that to herself.”

“ _Elena_ didn’t tell me, but that doesn’t matter,” She snapped and continued despite his look of confusion. “She’s my sister, Elijah. I can’t stand by and let you do this!”

“This is the only way to—”

“ _Fuck_ Klaus,” She stepped closer and pushed him slightly, though he didn’t budge one inch. “Fuck revenge. She’s _innocent_ , Elijah. Are you so okay with Klaus spilling her blood just so you can kill him?”

He stared at her a moment before speaking. “I am not as sentimental as you believe me to be.”

She scoffed and stared at him in disbelief. “I guess I have my answer. There is no humanity left in you,” She turned and started to walk away but he spoke up.

“If the deal with Elena is broken in any way—”

“Fuck your deal, Elijah!” Andy shouted as she turned to face him with pure anger. “She’s my _sister_. I will _not_ let you or Klaus take her away from me. I don’t want or need your protection.”

“Andy?” Jenna called from the porch. “Is everything okay?”

Andy threw Elijah one last glare, ignoring Jenna. “I respect you’re a man of your word, but I’m a woman of my word and I give you my word that if Elena dies, I’ll be the one looking for a way to kill you.”

“Is everything okay?” Jenna repeated as she walked closer.

Andy turned to face her abruptly and grabbed her by the shoulders. “Remember what we spoke about last night? Don’t let it stray too far from your mind today,” She glanced back at Elijah. “You never know when that knowledge might come in handy.” She then stomped over to her car and peeled out of the driveway. The one thing she was thankful for today was that she worked at the Grill until dinnertime. That way she could avoid more drama and try to rationalize threatening an Original.

* * *

Andy had thrown herself into her work for the day, happy that Matt worked with her. They joked around until they were informed that Tyler had run away from home sometime last night. After that, they grew quiet other than wondering where he had run off to. Andy suggested that he had gone looking for Mason when she knew he had probably left because of what happened with Elijah and the werewolves. It was the safest option to run now anyway.

Around lunch rush, Andy was so busy she didn’t notice who was at a table she had taken from another waitress so she could go on break. “Hey, how is your meal going? Anything I can get y’all?” She looked up and her gaze met with Damon’s. Her mouth formed an O as she glanced and noticed Alaric and the woman she had seen Damon kissing yesterday. “Uh, sorry. Busy day.”

“Don’t apologize,” Alaric said with a small smile. “Damon told me about the vampire blood.”

“Oh, yeah… it sucks but I don’t really feel like testing to see if it’s a permanent while I’ve still got a bullet hole in my stomach,” She replied.

“How are you even working?” The woman asked.

“Sheer will and desire for my own spending money,” Andy said as she glanced at the woman. She finally recognized her from the news. She was Andie Starr. _Of course her name is Andie_ , she thought as she glanced over at Damon.

“My name is Andie Starr by the way. Andrea Gilbert, right?”

“Just Andy,” Andy answered in a flat tone before she glanced around the room. “I really got to get back to work—”

“Ah, there's Jenna with her new boyfriend,” Damon said, gesturing to the door. Andy turned to see Jenna and Elijah had just walked in. She made eye contact with Elijah and the two stared at one another as he moved closer. “Hi.” Damon greeted the two as they approached.

“Hey, guys,” Jenna replied, her gaze landing on Andy with a bit of concern. However, Andy and Elijah were still staring at one another, both with neutral expressions but a fire within their eyes.

“So I hear you two had quite a meeting of historical minds today,” Damon commented, nudging Andy’s leg with his foot. Breaking her gaze from Elijah’s, she glanced over at him with a glare.

“Yeah, I guess you could say that,” Jenna replied.

“Well, as much as I'd like to continue this, I've got papers to grade,” Alaric said as he put down some money and got up from the table.

“No, you know what? We should continue this. Let's have a dinner party!” Andie suggested.

“Ooh, my girl. Full of good ideas. I'll be happy to host. Say tonight. Maybe?” Damon said, causing Andy to look at him with a raised eyebrow when he said “my girl.” What exactly did he want with Andie? Just someone to toy around with? Andy felt bad for the woman. She had no clue what she was getting into with the Salvatore.

“It's good for me. Jenna?” Andie asked, glancing at her friend.

“I don't know if tonight works...” Alaric began but Jenna immediately turned to the news anchor.

“Yeah, I'm free,” Jenna confirmed before they all looked over at Elijah.

“It'd be a pleasure,” The Original said, a forced smile gracing his features.

“Great. Andy, you in or are you busy playing Cinderella the rest of the night?” Damon asked as he looked to her.

Andy rolled her eyes and began backing away. “I relish in being able to spend my evening with people older than me by at least a decade. Nothing better than eating pie while the men have their pissing contests.”

“Hey!” Jenna chastised. “I’m not that much older than you.”

“I’ll be there but I’m not saying I won’t be bored,” Andy promised, her gaze slipping to Elijah’s before she turned and returned to her work.

She did her best to ignore his presence but even as he and Jenna sat down at a table, it was hard not to sneak a glance every once and a while. He was clearly engaged in the conversation with Jenna, but she would see him look her way sometimes. She wasn’t stupid enough to believe her words were enough to give him a change of heart, but she did hope that he was thinking about what she said. She knew she had no hold over Elijah, that whatever his relationship was with Anastasia did not mean that is what their relationship is like. She didn’t trust him now despite knowing deep down she wanted to. He didn’t seem like he was as bad as he appeared, but he was proving otherwise, even if his reason to kill Klaus was reasonable.

Once they finally left, Andy was finally able to immerse herself in work to the point she didn’t have to think about anything outside of the Grill. Soon enough she found herself clocking out and on her way to her car. However, she stopped when she saw that Elijah was calling her. Did he know when she got off work? She reluctantly found herself answering his call. “This better be good,” She answered with.

“ _Hello, Andrea. I hope work went well_ ,” He greeted her, his tone apathetic.

“As much as it can when you had to serve a vampire,” She replied, wondering what had inspired this change. He had been friendly with her the day before. Perhaps it was because she had threatened to kill him.

“ _Speaking of which… what are Damon’s intentions with this dinner?_ ”

“You really think Damon tells me anything after he saw me with you last night? I’m pretty sure the only two people he trusts less is you and my uncle,” She pointed out as she climbed into her car. “And this is Damon we’re talking about. He could literally be planning the biggest heist ever or it’s just a dinner to get information out from you.”

He paused a moment before speaking. “ _Perhaps you would like to accompany me then? We can find out together_.”

“Escort the man who is planning to sacrifice my sister to a dinner hosted by the guy I used to like? Yeah, I’m gonna pass. But if you’re really that worried, I’ll be there anyway and so will Jenna and Andie. He won’t do anything in front of them,” She said, her tone reflective as she considered what Damon might be trying to accomplish.

“ _I am not so certain of that. You made your feelings toward me quite clear this morning. Damon has more strength and a worse temper_ ,” He explained. “ _I believe I do have something to worry about._ ”

“You’re an Original. I’ve seen you kill a handful of people now. You can handle Damon if he tries something tonight,” Andy had to admit that she wasn’t opposed to doing something to curbing Elijah. However, if this ended badly then the result would be a lot worse than before. Elijah would probably kill Damon and take Elena away until it was time for her to be sacrificed. “And if I try anything, you can easily kill me, Elijah. I’m not a threat to you. Not tonight.”

“ _I will see you there, Andrea_.” Andy hung up after that, exhaling and leaning back into her chair. She was sure that vampires were going to be the death of her sooner or later.

* * *

Andy decided on wearing a pair of jeans and a simple t-shirt. This was an informal dinner party and she wasn’t looking to impress anyone. If anything, she was there to make sure Elijah or Damon didn’t try anything with Jenna and Andie being there. She had every intention to do what she needed to stop Elijah from sacrificing Elena, but she wasn’t going to put others in danger to achieve that.

“Hey, you ready?” Andy glanced over at Jenna who was waiting in the doorway of her bedroom.

“Whenever you are,” She replied walking toward her. “Listen, about what I told you last night…”

“I’ve been reading a journal John gave me. One of Jonathan Gilbert’s,” Jenna admitted hesitantly. “It’s certainly… interesting.”

“I know it sounds crazy, Jen. But I told you so we could all be safer. What we’re walking into tonight could easily become a war zone,” Andy explained. “I know you don’t believe me. I know you think that I’ve slunk back into drinking but I haven’t, okay? I haven’t touched alcohol in months. Please be careful around Elijah and Damon, okay?”

“Elijah?” Jenna questioned.

“He’s… he’s one as well,” She confessed.

Jenna sighed and nodded. “Okay. That makes sense with what you told me this morning and why you were angry at seeing him. Well, if this is true then you said Elena was going to be sacrificed for some sun curse. How do you know all of this?”

Andy exhaled and grabbed her coat. “I’ll explain in the car. They won’t be happy I told you but you deserve to know.”

“Where are you two headed?” John questioned as they walked downstairs.

“Dinner party at the Salvatore’s for Elijah,” Jenna answered. “Not that it’s any of your busy.”

Before John could respond, Jenna opened the front door and walked out. Andy looked over at John before she turned to follow Jenna. In the car, Andy did the best to give a precise and short explanation of everything that had happened over the last few weeks. Jenna listened in silence but was intently listening to her.

“You can’t make this stuff up…” Jenna murmured as Andy concluded with Tyler leaving town and Elijah wanting to sacrifice Elena. “And Elena is just willing going through this? She wants to die?”

“She wants to save everyone,” Andy corrected with a sigh. “Elijah doesn’t care if he gets to kill Klaus.”

“How can he look me in the face knowing he’s going to allow my niece to be sacrificed?” Jenna asked. “I don’t understand any of this. How could this go on without me knowing? How could Jeremy and Elena keep this from me?”

“For the same reason they kept it from me, Jen; they thought they were protecting us. As for Elijah, well, he’s over a thousand years old. He’s learned to keep his emotions in check by now,” Andy said, looking over at Jenna.

“I still don’t think I entirely believe this is all true, but it makes so much sense considering all the deaths around town… What about Ric’s wife? Your biological mother? What happened to her?”

Andy ran a hand through her hair. “A part of me believes this is something that Ric should tell you…”

“But he won’t. As long as he thinks I know nothing about the supernatural or him being a vampire hunter, then he’ll keep dodging my questions,” Jenna pointed out.

“Fine… Well, she left him and faked her death. She became a vampire, but as far as we know she could be anywhere,” Andy answered. Jenna grew quiet and drummed her fingertips on the steering wheel. “Ric cares for you, Jen. He wanted to protect you also. His wife is a sore spot for him. He spent years thinking she was dead and obsessing over finding the vampire who killed her only to find out she willingly left him.”

“Oh, my god,” Jenna exhaled with a shake of her head. “I’ve been so rude to him.”

“He’ll understand,” She pointed out, putting a comforting hand on Jenna’s shoulder.

“If this is all true… Listen, Andy, I want to believe you. This is stuff you can’t make up, even with your imagination. It’s just a lot to be asking me to believe without solid proof other than what happened to you,” Jenna said, looking over at Andy’s black eye which had worsened. She had barely been able to cover it up enough to not draw as much attention, though Matt had noticed and questioned her. She had been able to pass it off as falling down the stairs but she knew he didn’t entirely believe her. However, he had dropped it.

“I know. I’m thinking Damon might be willing to prove it, even if Ric will kill him. He heard our conversation last night,” Andy admitted.

“Right. Vampire hearing,” Jenna sighed. “If that’s true, I have said so much behind his back he probably heard...”

“Damon won’t hurt you.”

“Only because of Elena and Ric,” Jenna answered. Andy looked down and swallowed at the reminder. “And you, of course.” She added as an afterthought when she saw her niece’s somber look.

“I’m over it,” Andy told her with a shrug. Did everyone always have to get that sympathetic look when Damon was brought up? She wasn’t that upset over it anymore and it was becoming annoying, especially because they never were an item to begin with.“We were just friends anyway. I don’t like him like that.”

The rest of the ride was in silence. Once they got to the Salvatore Boarding House, they silently approached. “I think it would be best to act as if I don’t know anything,” Jenna decided. “Otherwise I’m sure I’ll be cursing Elijah and Damon out this entire dinner.”

Andy nodded. “That sounds good. When Elena and Stefan get back home tomorrow we can all sit down and discuss. Jeremy’s been avoiding coming home because of John but we’ll get him to come as well.”

Andie answered the door when they rang, a broad smile on her face. “Perfect timing! I need help setting the table if you both don’t mind.”

“Of course we don’t,” Jenna answered, shooting a look to Andy informing her to play nice.

“Hey guys,” Alaric greeted as they passed him and Damon walking toward the dining room.

“Hey Ric,” Andy replied with a wave. Jenna just nodded in acknowledgment before she followed Andie. Andy looked over at Damon, the two of them staring one another down for a moment. He disappeared with Alaric and Andy immediately knew something was up. “Hey, do you guys got this? I need to talk to Ric really quick,” She said, glancing over at the two women.

“Yeah, go ahead,” Andie said with a smile. Damon and Alaric had moved into the library and she followed in after them.

“This is a bad idea,” Alaric exclaimed.

“What? That you invited an Original to have dinner with four humans and one vampire?” Andy asked as she walked over to them.

“There's no such thing as a bad idea. Just poorly executed awesome ones. Here,” Damon said as he held out a glass of scotch for Alaric he had just poured.

Alaric shook his head, pushing the glass away. “No. I don't like the idea of Elijah being in the same house with Jenna or Andy.”

“Jenna's perfectly safe. Besides, it's just a fact-finding mission. It's totally harmless,” Damon answered.

“Just a fact-finding mission?” Andy questioned with a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah,” Damon replied, his tone unconvincing both humans.

Alaric sighed and shook his head. “Listen, no sneak attacks. No surprise plans. Nothing that's gonna put Jenna and Andy in harm's way. Okay?”

“Scout's honor,” Damon said, putting his hand on Alaric’s shoulder. Alaric looked at him, still suspicious.

“Listen I don’t want Elijah using Elena for the sacrifice as much as anyone else,” Andy said as she put her hands on her hips. “But I’m with Ric on this. If you make one move against him, I’m fairly certain Elijah will kill everyone in this house.”

“I forgot you know him so well now,” Damon commented, causing her to roll her eyes.

“I got more information from him than you did. Guess it pays to be a doppelganger, huh?” Andy shot back.

“What information did you get?”

Andy swallowed, realizing her misstep. “Uh, nothing important. Just that I’m certain he is dead set on killing Klaus. So that is taken care of at least,” She glanced down at her phone to see the time. Elijah should be arriving here at any moment and she wanted to catch him outside before anyone else could speak to him. “Which means we find a _safe_ way of making sure he doesn’t sacrifice Elena and that he still kills Klaus. Building a rapport is always helpful.”

Andy turned and went to leave the room. On her way, she ran into Andie who gave her a dazzling smile before continuing into the library. She seemed like a nice woman, but that still didn’t explain why she was with Damon. Maybe she had been compelled.

Wrapping her coat tight around her, Andy watched as a familiar car pulled up. She watched John get out of the car and walk toward her. “I didn’t know you were invited,” Andy commented as he approached.

“I wasn’t but I was curious what Damon is up to with Elijah,” John said, stopping in front of her. “I assume you’re waiting for Elijah?”

“Yes, I am,” She said, lifting her chin. She wasn’t going to let John shame her. “I guess we all have our own ways of protecting Elena.”

“Some of ours are less direct,” John replied. “Andy, please just be careful. He’s not some high school boy you can charm and wrap around your finger.”

“I realize this isn’t a game, John. I’m acutely aware that this is a matter of life and death for all of us,” Andy shot back, her hand going to her stomach. “I was on death’s door not that long ago and I’ve been kidnapped _twice_ now.”

John nodded before looking up at the house. “I believe that you think you’re strong enough, Andy. I just don’t want to underestimate Elijah, or overestimate what sway you may have on him, doppelganger or not.”

Andy narrowed her eyes at him. “Why would the fact I’m a doppelganger have any sway over him?”

“I know you’ve pieced it together by now. The dreams you told me about? They’re too much of a coincidence, especially with your body rejecting blood which is unlike Elena. Last I heard, she was having no weird dreams involving Elijah,” John said, putting a hand on her shoulder and squeezing. “Just be careful. I’ll see you inside.”

“John, you can’t just drop that information and elaborate,” Andy pointed out.

“I can’t tell you now, Andy. Maybe later,” John said before he walked past her.

Andy didn’t turn to watch as he walked inside. Instead, she continued staring out at the driveway, wondering how much John knew exactly. After a few minutes of wondering what angle John was trying to play, her thoughts were interrupted by Elijah driving up. She exhaled and folded her arms over her chest, doing her best to keep her expression neutral as he approached.

“I half expected you to cancel,” She said to him as he approached in his immaculate three-piece suit.

“I half expected to be met with an ambush,” He replied as he came to a stop in front of her.

“The night is young,” Andy stated dryly before she studied his face in silence. He was watching her in curiosity but she remained quiet until she had finished looking over his angular features. “Which is my main worry. There are a lot of innocent people in there, Elijah—”

“I have no intentions of hurting anyone tonight, Andrea,” Elijah interrupted. She wanted to believe the sincerity in his gaze and yet she didn’t know how to feel. “Least of all your family.”

Andy gave him a half-hearted smile. “I appreciate it. Look at you, surprising me even in the smallest of ways. Hopefully, they remain good surprises.”

“I suppose this dinner will tell,” Elijah offered his arm out to her. “Shall we?”

Hesitantly, Andy interlocked her arm with his as they walked toward the front door. As they approached, Damon opened the front door. “Good evening,” Elijah greeted as they reached the door.

“Thank you for coming. Please, come in,” Damon said, his smile tightening when he saw Andy by Elijah’s side.

“Just one moment,” Elijah said when Andy went to walk. She paused and looked in between the two men. “Can I just say that if you have less than honorable intentions about how this evening is going to proceed, I suggest you reconsider.”

“No, nothing, _nothing_ dishonorable. Just getting to know you, like Andy has,” Damon commented, throwing her a look.

“Hmm. Well, that's good,” Elijah said as he stepped into the house. He let go of Andy’s arm as she moved further into the house but heard his next words as clear as day. “Because, you know, although Elena and I have this deal, if you so much as make a move to cross me, I'll kill you and I'll kill everyone in this house. Are we clear?”

“Crystal,” Damon replied. Andy looked back at Elijah, but he was already moving past her toward Jenna. She wondered who he was telling the truth to her or Damon. He could be trying to make her believe he is helpful when in reality he might just be cold-hearted. He had told her that she believed that he cared more than he actually did.

“Jenna. Wonderful to see you again. How are you?” Elijah asked, looking at the young woman with a smile.

Jenna threw a glance toward Andy before she returned Elijah’s smile. “Nice to see you,” She said with a nod.

“You look incredible,” Elijah complimented.

“Thank you.”

Damon shut the front door and came to stand next to Andy. “Did he tell you that you look incredible tonight?” He asked her.

Andy scowled at him. “He didn’t tell you either, hotshot. Though I guess that’s why you keep _Andie_ around.”

“It’s a common name,” He replied. She gave him a ‘really?’ look but he turned to face the others in the room as he clasped his hands together. “Now that we’re all here, we can finally eat!”

Andy went to choose her seat at the table, only to be surrounded by Jenna and John. At one end of the table sat Damon, then Andie to his left. Next to the news anchor sat Elijah. Alaric sat at the opposite end of the table from Damon. Jenna, Andy, and John sat on the other side of the time from Elijah. Andy was positioned so she sat directly across from Elijah. They had sat the food out on the table and Jenna stood to pour glasses of wine.

“Can I have a glass?” She asked jokingly to her aunt. Jenna gave her an unamused look before she continued pouring some into Alaric’s glass.

“Thank you, Jenna,” He said to her.

“No problem,” She replied in a low voice. Andy looked over at Damon with a frown but he just shrugged before settling back into his chair.

“Well, dig in everybody!” Damon said. Andy hesitated before she piled mashed potatoes, green beans, and some chicken onto her plate. She reached for a roll, looking up to see Elijah had done the same. The two watched another in amusement before Andy grabbed the one he was reaching for with a playful and brief grin. He looked back in amusement before he took the original one she had been reaching for.

“I hate to break it to you, Damon, but according to Elijah, your family is so not a founder of this town,” Jenna said as she poured some wine into Damon’s glass.

Damon hummed in interest, looking to the Original. “Do tell.”

“Well, as I mentioned to Jenna earlier, a faction of settlers migrated from Salem after the witch trials in the sixteen-nineties. Over the next hundred years they developed this community where they could feel safe from persecution,” Elijah explained.

“Hmm. Because they were witches,” Jenna said, glancing at Alaric.

“Yeah, but there's no tangible proof there were witches in Salem,” Andie pointed out.

Damon smiled, looking back to Elijah. “Andie's a journalist. Big on facts.”

Elijah exhaled. “Well, the lore says that there was this wave of anti-witch hysteria. It broke out in the neighboring settlement, so these witches were rounded up. They were tied to stakes in a field together and, uh, burned. Some say you could hear the screams from miles around us. They were consumed by the fire. Could you pass the…” He gestured to the gravy over by Jenna, which was passed to him.

“I wouldn't repeat this to the Historical Society,” Jenna commented.

“It's starting to sound a little like a ghost story to me,” John admitted flippantly.

“So, why do you want to know the location of these alleged massacres?” Andy asked Elijah, her curiosity getting the best of her.

“You know… a healthy historian's curiosity, of course,” Elijah answered, seeming a bit nervous at the question.

“Of course,” Damon said as Elijah smiled nervously. Andy glanced at Damon, the two of them sharing unspoken words. There was a significance to this place and it seemed as if Damon knew what Elijah was referring to by the satisfied look in his eyes.

“How did you come to decide that Mystic Falls would be the perfect location for your book?” Andie asked.

“Small-town Virginia is my focus. More specifically, small towns that were settled long before they realize,” Elijah explained.

“You must have seen some amazing things,” Andy commented, drawing his hazel brown eyes to her. “I’d love to hear some of your stories.”

“I’m afraid that is a very general prompt,” Elijah said with a half-smile. She wondered if he was thinking about their conversation from yesterday. “Do you have anything specific in mind?”

“No, it’s okay. I don’t want you to have to do all the talking,” Andy gave him a small smile before looking to Jenna. “So, you gave him the complete tour of Mystic Falls historical sites?”

“It took some time but yes, we eventually got through all of the locations,” Jenna answered before mentioning some of the sights they had gone to. After that, Damon, John, and Alaric made it their mission to put Elijah through an inquisition. Andy just ate her food and chimed whenever she thought it was necessary. There were more than a few times that Damon would make subtle digs at Elijah and Andy would have to smooth it over. The last thing she wanted to do was encourage a fight between them now.

“Would anyone care for some cognac? I have a bottle that I've been saving for ages,” Damon said as he stood from the table. Andy glanced at her phone to see it was nearing nine o’clock. She felt herself yawning despite herself.

“None for me thanks. Nine bottles of wine is my limit,” Alaric said as he stood as well.

“The gentlemen should take their drinks in the study,” Andie suggested.

 “I have to say the food was almost as wonderful as the company,” Elijah said as he stood, sending a smile toward the news anchor.

“I like you,” She replied.

Jenna handed some plates to John. “Here you are, gentleman, make yourself useful. Hmm?” She said. John glanced at Andy before taking the plate and walking off. Alaric came up behind Jenna.

“Here, here. Put me to work,” He said.

“Um, I got it,” Jenna said, picking up the plates and starting to walk out of the room.

Alaric stopped her, a look of concern on his face. Andy decided to give them privacy and followed Damon and Elijah, who had both ended up in the library.

“Ah, Andy… we’re just going to be discussing—” Damon began but she was quick to interrupt him.

“I’m not going to leave this room, Damon. Don’t even try me with that bullshit,” Andy said, sitting on the couch and relaxing into the cushions. Damon shrugged and turned to pour them some drinks. Elijah threw her a short, amused look before focusing back on the Salvatore.

“So, let me guess. In addition to the moonstone, the doppelgänger, the lion, the witch and the wardrobe, you need to find this witch burial ground,” Damon said.

“Because I feel as though we've grown so close, Damon, I'll tell you yes. Do you know where it is?” Elijah asked.

“Maybe. Tell me why it's so important,” Damon turned to hand Elijah a glass of scotch.

He took it with a sly smile. “We're not that close,” Elijah turned around and looked around at the books. “It's quite a collection you have here.”

“Hmm,” Damon murmured. Andy was focused on watching Elijah she didn’t notice that Damon had produced a silver dagger from the tray of glasses.

“It's a funny thing about books. Before they existed, people actually had memories,” Elijah commented as he turned to look at Andy. She glanced at Damon and noticed the dagger but before she could do or say anything, the doors burst opened. Damon quickly sat the dagger down without Elijah even noticing.

“Gentlemen, we forgot about dessert,” Alaric announced.

“Elijah,” Andie said as held her hand out for him.

“Miss Star…” Elijah handed his glass to Damon, who drained it, and took Andie's hand. He twirled her around and they began to walk out of the room together. Elijah glanced over at Andy while she was watching him with a torn expression. He looked at her in confusion before he disappeared. She had been distracted and hadn’t noticed that Damon had almost stabbed him. But Elijah couldn’t be killed so what was the point of stabbing him?

As soon as they left, Damon smacked Alaric angrily. Alaric pointed down at the dagger. Damon didn’t understand what he meant. As Alaric walked over to a desk and wrote something down on a piece of paper, Andy walked over to get a closer look. He handed it to Damon who read it, with Andy peeking over his shoulder. The paper said, “The dagger will kill you if you use it.” Damon angrily threw the paper at Alaric and they walked out of the room. Andy hesitated before following them, wondering what they were getting into now and if she should try to stop them. If something went wrong, Elijah could kill them all.

When Andy entered the room, she heard Jenna moving around in the kitchen. Damon had sat down across from John while Alaric was shuffling through a bag. “Elijah, did John tell you he's Elena's and Andy’s uncle-slash-father?” Damon asked as he faked a smile.

Elijah glanced at Andy before speaking. “Yes, I'm well aware of that.”

“Of course, she hates him, so there's absolutely no need to keep him on the endangered species list,” Damon said, glaring at John. “I mean, do you even like him, Andy?”

“Damon…” Andy said, throwing a glare in his direction as she began to walk toward the kitchen.

“No Ric, it's in the front pocket. On the...you know what? Excuse me, guys. Sorry,” Andie said as she stood to walk over to Alaric.

“What I'd like to know, Elijah, is how do you intend on killing Klaus?” John asked, causing Andy to pause and listen to his response. Elijah looked up at Andy before he turned his attention to the men.

“Gentlemen, there's a few things we should probably get clear right now. I allow you to live solely to keep an eye on Elena. I allow her both to remain in her house living her lives with her friends as she does as a courtesy. If you become a liability, I'll take her away from you and you'll never see her again.” Elijah said calmly.

“Are you kidding me?” Andy asked, turning to face the men with a glower. “I knew this was going to turn into a dick measuring contest. Surprise, I’ve got the biggest one, assholes.” She stated before she walked into the kitchen. She didn’t want to sit there and debate with Elijah.

“What’s going on in there?” Jenna asked as she continued mixing the batter.

“Oh, you know, the usual pissing contest—” Andy felt a sharp pain in her chest and grabbed onto the island.

“Andy? Are you okay?” Jenna rushed to her side.

“I feel like—like I can’t breathe,” Andy felt as if she had been stabbed but didn’t know why. After another moment, the feeling passed. “I-I need to go to the bathroom.”

Turning around, Andy rushed out of the kitchen and passed through the dining room, pausing when she saw Elijah’s body being carried by Damon. She froze and stared at them in shock.

“Andy…” Alaric said, noticing her. “Listen—”

“Is—is he dead?” She asked, her eyes glued to the gray skin that had replaced Elijah’s once lively. He looked like the day Damon had staked him.

“For all intents and purposes,” Damon said, carrying the body out of the room. Andy exhaled and leaned against one of the chairs. She had felt as if she had been stabbed right when Elijah was taken out by them…

“It was the silver dagger,” John explained. “It takes out an Original if you soak it in white oak ash. He was going to sacrifice Elena, Andy.”

“I know that, John. I-I just need some fresh air,” Andy walked past him and outside, thankful for the cold air. She walked out to the driveway and checked the time. It was getting later and she was ready for some sleep. The dinner had been nice, other than Damon’s plot to remove Elijah from the board.

She knew that Elijah off of the playing field was a good and bad thing. On one hand, Elena would no longer try to sacrifice herself—or so Andy hoped. On the other hand, Elijah was much stronger compared to them. His help would have been invaluable.

“Hey, dessert is about ready,” Andie said, opening the front door.

“Oh, okay. Thanks,” Andy replied lamely.

“Are… are you feeling okay? I know you and Elijah kind of had a thing…”

“We didn’t have a ‘thing,’” Andy said defensively as she stood and turned to face her. “What makes you think that?”

“Well, I just thought—sorry, I shouldn’t have assumed. Just take however long you need, okay? I’m here if you need anything,” Andie gave her a warm smile before retreating back inside. Andy exhaled and faced away from the door again. Andie was a nice woman and that burned her more than anything. Damon couldn’t choose someone absolutely terrible. No, he had to go for a beautiful, kind, and funny woman. Let him be happy, Andy thought as she stood to go back inside, her chest no longer aching from the spasm she had felt minutes earlier. However, as she went to open the door, she was suddenly grabbed. Her vision blurred and she found herself being directed into the passenger seat of her car. She held her head, feeling a headache coming on as she turned to see who had climbed into the driver’s seat.

She gasped at the figure. “E-Elijah?”

* * *

As soon as Elijah had felt the dagger enter his heart and his mind begin to shut down, it slowly built back up before it could be silenced. When he awoke downstairs, he didn’t waste any time in leaving, the rage in him threatening to boil over.

He should kill them all, especially the Salvatore. He had explicitly stated his terms and didn’t understand what was so difficult to understand about them. However, they had completely disregarded them. Andrea Gilbert had. Or had she? He was sure she wouldn’t have put Jenna in danger. The only reason he didn’t immediately tear them all apart was a certain face that gave him pause as he started to leave.

Andrea was standing in the driveway, a coat wrapped around her body. It was spring and cool out, but she still looked cold standing there. She paced around a few steps, looking pensive. He wondered what was going through her mind. He wondered if she even cared that he could have slaughtered everyone she loved for what Damon and Alaric did. He would have, but he wasn’t his brother and he had told Andrea he had no intention to hurt her loved ones. However, he did plan to follow through on his word and remove Elena from their lives.

Andrea’s expression when he had said that slunk back into his mind. He knew that if he took Elena away, none of them would stop looking for her, least of all Andrea. Klaus would want to at least see her out of pure curiosity. If he took Andrea with him and Elena, then perhaps the Salvatores would back off. Not only would they put their own lives at risk, but one of Elena’s loved ones. Even if their priority may be Elena, Stefan at the very least would not allow Andy to be hurt.

Before he could second-guess himself, he sped over to Andrea and grabbed her. He sped them over to her car and grabbed her keys from the coat pocket. He directed her into the car before he sped to the driver’s seat. As he started the car, he heard her gasp as she realized it was him.

“E-Elijah?” She questioned. “How…?”

He didn’t respond and instead stared hard at the road ahead. He wondered where they had even got their hands on a dagger. Klaus usually kept them nearby him. “I should kill them all.” He said finally.

He could tell she was trying to hide her relief that he hadn’t killed them as she spoke. “Elijah, listen, whatever they—”

“Tell me, how did a Salvatore get his hands on a dagger? I believed Klaus kept them so close to his chest,” Elijah said, looking at her with a morose expression for a long moment before looking forward. The speedometer had reached well over sixty and he noticed her discomfort as she clutched onto anything she could. “I assume you knew about this idiotic plan.”

“No, I didn’t. I wouldn’t have let them do that with Jenna and Andie in the same house,” Andrea said, reaching out to touch his arm but he continued staring intently ahead. He didn’t want her comfort or need it. He needed to find Elena and get them the hell away from the Salvatores. “Elijah, I don’t know what you’re thinking but you can’t kill them.”

“I told Damon I would kill everyone in that house if he tried anything. I am a man of my word, Andrea.”

“You told me you wouldn’t hurt them.”

He looked over at her again, his expression devoid of any sympathy. “I said I had no intention of killing anyone. Not that I wouldn’t.”

“Elijah, _please_ ,” She pleaded, her tone beginning to genuinely sound concerned. “You took me for a reason, okay? You didn’t kill them for a reason. You know you’ll need them to help with Klaus. Take me with you and we’ll pick up Elena. She made your deal. You said that you would take her away from everyone if they tried something. This way nobody has to die.”

“You would allow that to happen?”

“I wouldn’t like it, no. But I can’t stop you. The only thing I can do is make sure my sister remains safe,” She solemnly admitted, her voice low as she looked forward.

Elijah wouldn't be swayed by her for any reason, he told himself. She was a doppelganger of his former love, not actually her. He had promised himself this time he would not fall for those brown eyes and he had every intention of keeping that promise. No matter how similar or, more accurately, different she was to Anastasia, he wouldn’t give in. He had already paid her more attention than he intended to. What was he supposed to do when she was bleeding out on Carol Lockwood’s floor? He couldn’t leave her to figure it out on her own. Admittedly, he had spoken to her before the incident, but he had been repressing the urge to learn about the latest doppelganger. Elena, he had needed to know about because she was needed for the sacrifice. Andrea was another thing entirely.

Finally, he turned to look at her and saw the acceptance in her eyes. She was devoted to her family, he knew that much. The same way Anastasia and Milena had both been. They had an undying loyalty to their family just as he did. Looking at her now, he recalled her words from earlier in the day when she had threatened to find a way to kill him if he allowed Elena to die during the sacrifice. He didn’t want Elena to die for such a cause either, but it was necessary if Klaus was going to die. However, when Andy looked over at him with a mix of defeat and sadness, he found himself thinking back to a time long passed.

_“What does this mean, Elijah?” Milena demanded as she stood in front of him. He looked at her solemnly, knowing that she would be upset no matter how he framed it. She had found the old scroll Klaus had made for the sun and the moon curse. As he had explained everything to her, she had sat silently. She had already known what his family was. She had discovered it a few nights ago when Kol hadn’t cleaned up his mess. Elijah hadn’t been strong enough to compel her to forget and had allowed her to keep the secret. She claimed she hadn’t told Katerina or anyone else she knew._

_“This is the only way to break what our mother did to him. Please understand I have no intention of allowing harm to come to you or your sister,” Elijah stepped forward to put a hand on her cheek but she backed up. He looked at her, hurt but understanding that this wasn’t a light subject. “I had the witches make a potion—it_ will _save her life.”_

 _“I have looked past what you are. I have ignored the fact you feed on humans and have killed before,” Milena said in a whisper. “But I cannot sit and ignore the threat on my sister’s life. Your brother means to_ kill _her. I cannot put my faith in some witch.”_

_“Milena, you cannot move against my brother. There is nothing to stop the sacrifice from happening.”_

_She looked at him in hurt and anger. His heart clenched at the sight of her misty eyes. “You lied to me. You told me that there was no ulterior motive here. But you were just using my time so I would not notice what you were doing to my sister. I believed you loved me.”_

_“Milena, I do—” He took a step toward her but she took a step back as soon as he moved. “I love you.”_

_“You believe you love me because I look like the girl in Klaus’ painting,” Milena said, causing him to look at her in surprise. How did she know about Anastasia? He had explained the fact that Katerina was a doppelganger but not her. “That is why you both looked at me the way you did when we first met. This entire time you have been dishonest with me. For a time, I believed it might have been me. It might have been if it weren’t for your family.”_

_Elijah swallowed and looked away. “They are my blood. I will not abandon them. I apologize for any hurt I may have caused, Milena.”_

_Milena walked over to him and put a hand on his cheek. He finally met her gaze again to see she no longer held tears in her eyes. She looked sad, but most of all, determined. That was what scared him. “I would never ask you to abandon your family, Elijah. Do not ask me to abandon mine.”_

_She turned and started to walk away but he caught her wrist. “Niklaus will kill you and your family if Katerina even attempts to flee. Please_ trust me _. I can help you. I-I cannot sit back as you die.”_

_“I do not want any of my family to be hurt. That is why I am doing this. You would do the same if one of your siblings were destined to be a blood sacrifice for an ancient ritual. Let me go, Elijah. I would not do anything that endangered my family.”_

_“What of your own life? Do you have any regard for that?”_

_“Katerina is my sister, my_ twin _. I have never gone a day without seeing her. I don’t intend to now,” Milena pulled away from him finally. She headed toward the door and looked back at him with a hardened look. “Should Katerina die in the sacrifice, I will not stop until I find a way to pay what was taken from me.”_

_“Milena, don’t say that. Not to me.” His heart ached as he realized he would have to do something about her. He couldn’t allow her to hurt his family, even if he genuinely believed the elixir would work._

_“Goodnight, Elijah.”_

Elijah realized he was still watching Andrea and she had looked over at him with a worried look. “Listen, I understand this black eye is interesting to see, but can you please watch the road when you’re going seventy?”

He looked forward and swallowed. He had stopped thinking about Milena centuries ago, but he couldn’t help but notice the similarities between her and Andy. They both had a strength and loyalty to their families that he respected. Milena had been more mature than Andrea, but that wasn’t to say the latest incarnation was immature. She acted as if she was care-free and made jokes that Elijah wouldn’t expect. She was different from Milena and Anastasia, and he wasn’t certain if that was a good or a bad thing.

As much as he hated to admit it, Andrea was correct. The Salvatores were more useful alive than dead. It was better for Elijah to tell himself that was the reason he hadn’t already ripped their hearts from their chests.

“Where is she?” He asked her finally. No matter what, he needed to get to Elena. He could decide whether or not to kill Damon later.

“I don’t know. She and Stefan went out of town for the weekend,” Andrea answered hesitantly. He glanced over at her and studied her closely. Her heart was beating fast but it had been since they had gotten in the car.

“I do hope you aren’t lying. I’ve had enough of that charade for one night,” Elijah said after a moment. He focused his attention forward, hoping Jonas was at his home. Whenever they daggered him, they must have taken his phone. He would have borrowed Andy’s but he didn’t even remember Jonas’ phone number.

“I’m not lying to you, Elijah. I’m sorry that they did that. I don’t know where they got the dagger… but it didn’t kill you. John told me it would more or less kill you…”

“They didn’t leave the dagger in,” Elijah explained after a moment. He knew soon enough it would be in his possession anyway. “Once we get Elena and I find a secure place for you both, I will return for the dagger. The Salvatores are the last people who should have one of them.”

“One…? There’s more?” Andrea probed. He looked over at her with a cold expression.

“They aren’t any concern to me right now,” He said abruptly, causing her to remain silent.

“Was it painful?” She asked, her gaze focused on where the dagger had pierced him.

The car came to a screeching halt as Elijah hit the brakes in front of Jonas’ home. “Being daggered is never a comfortable situation. Dying in any way as a vampire even if only temporarily isn’t a pleasant experience.” He jumped out of the car and headed for the door. Andrea silently followed behind him.

“What happened?” Jonas asked as they burst into his living room. The witch had been sitting down reading.

“I need you to find Elena. Now,” Elijah grabbed Andrea by the arm and pulled her forward. She looked at him in confusion and shock. “You will need her blood.”

“What?” Andrea asked but Elijah held no sympathy in his expression. He still wasn’t sure of her involvement with tonight. He wasn’t sure if she was as duplicitous as Katerina and Milena had been to trick him into thinking that they had a sort of understanding. However, he was not taking any more chances with this doppelganger, not anytime soon at least.

Neither men answered her questions as Jonas set up a map on the dinner table with candles lining it. He beckoned her forward and Andrea threw a scowl Elijah's way before walking over and allowing Jonas to take her hand. He cut her palm open and let a little blood drip onto the map before handing her a cloth. She stepped back, holding her hand to her chest as she listened.

Jonas was repeating a Latin phrase over and over as she and Elijah stood off to the side. Once the blood had landed on her family lake house, Elijah heard her inhale sharply and her heart begin to beat faster. He wondered if she had known the location all along.

“What is there?” Elijah asked, looking in her direction.

“M-My family’s lake house. It’s a little way out from town,” Andrea answered, her voice soft and filled with concern. Elijah gave commands to Jonas to prepare a cloaking spell before he grabbed the doppelganger and pulled her with him as they walked toward the front door. She remained silent as they climbed back into his car and began speeding down the road.

“How is your hand feeling?” He asked her after a moment.

“Stinging a bit, but I’ve felt worse,” She replied in a small voice. For the rest of the drive, they remained in silence other than the directions Andrea gave. He kept his thoughts focused on Elena and figuring out where exactly he should hide her. At least until he had the dagger and the Salvatores learned their lesson about messing with an Original.

As soon as they arrived at the lake house, Elijah was practically out of the car and walking toward the large house. Andrea was quick to follow him but he remained silent as he knelt and picked up some rocks from the ground, tossing them from hand to hand.

“Let me talk to her, Elijah,” Andrea begged as grabbed his arm and walked around so she was standing in front of him. “I can get her to agree to come out without any bloodshed. _Please_.”

Elijah glanced at her, wishing he could believe her. He wanted to, but he couldn’t. He ignored her and simply moved forward. Once he was close enough, he threw the rocks at the front door and knocking it off its hinges. He heard Elena and Stefan gasp in shock at the noise. Behind him, Andrea gasped in surprise but he knew he had more important matters than to worry about a broken door. He heard Stefan told Elena that they would be safe inside the house.

Elijah began walking closer and Andrea followed him reluctantly. “You know, I might not be able to enter this house… But I'm a very patient man. I'll wait you out.” He called out loud enough for Elena to hear.

Andrea moved past Elijah toward the front door, but he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. The last thing he needed was to lose the other bargaining chip he held. Elena slowly walked out from behind the wall into the doorway of the front door, though she stayed inside. She glanced in worry at Andrea before looking back to Elijah.

“They shouldn't have done what they did,” She said, keeping a hand behind his back. He wondered if it was a similar trick to the vervain grenade she had thrown at him the first time they met.

“The deal is off.”

Elena shook her head. “I'm renegotiating.”

“You have nothing left to negotiate with. I, on the other hand…” He said, looking to Andrea before facing Elena again. There was a tense moment of silence that passed between the three before Elena produced a knife from behind her back. Elijah watched in slight amusement at her gall.

“I'd like to see you lure Klaus into Mystic Falls after the doppelgänger he needs for the curse bleeds to death,” Elena said, holding the knife up.

“Stefan won't let you die,” Elijah pointed out.

“No, he won't…. He'll feed me his blood to heal me, and then I'll kill myself and become a vampire, just like Katherine did,” Elena said sternly. Elijah looked at her in curiosity and slight irritation. “So, unless you want that to happen again, promise me the same as before… promise me…You won't harm anyone that I love. Even if they've harmed you.”

“You forget I still have Andrea. Would you put her life at risk? What is to stop me from killing you and your loved ones if you do that?” Elijah questioned, causing Andrea to tense up. He glanced at her to see she genuinely looked afraid as she watched what was unfolding. “I could start with your sister.”

“You won’t kill her,” Elena stated, causing Elijah to raise an eyebrow in surprise. Was Elena willing to risk Andrea’s life? Looking over at Andrea, she didn’t seem enthused about her sister’s gamble either. “But I will do what I have to.”

“I'm sorry, Elena. I'm going to have to call your bluff.” Elijah answered finally, his grip on Andrea tightening.

Elena breathed out and pointed the knife at her stomach. Elijah watched her, unsure of what she would do. Elena looked up at him and stabbed herself in the stomach. She screamed in pain and fell to the floor. There was blood gushing everywhere immediately and Elijah quickly let go of Andrea to rush towards the door but was stopped at the threshold because he had not been invited in. Elena dropped the knife on the floor and clutched her stomach.

This was going to ruin everything. Elijah would never avenge his siblings. They would be stuck suffering for an eternity.

“No! Yes. Yes, you can have your deal. Let me heal you,” Elijah pleaded, watching her in worry.

“Give me your word!” Elena demanded.

“I give you my word!” Elijah promised. Elena limped outside and into Elijah's arms. He gladly began to bite into his wrist when he suddenly felt the dagger slide into his chest. He gasped in surprise as he slowly felt the world around him fade away. He began falling to the ground and barely registered the pain of smacking against the gravel. Turning his head, the last thing he saw was Andrea’s face.

**_~ * • ° • ° • * ~_ **


	13. Don't You (Forget About Me)

**_Poison & Wine ~ Chapter XIII_ **

**_~ •°•°•*~_ **

“Is everything okay, Andy?”

The doppelganger sat across from Dr. Ripley, drumming her fingers against the armrest as she stared into space. Her brown eyes bored to her therapist and she exhaled. “I’m not sure. It’s been… _interesting_ the last few days.”

“Where would you like to start?”

She exhaled and ran a hand over her face. “Well, how about the fact my biological father is actually my generally hated uncle? Or maybe that I spilled a big secret to my aunt without letting my twin sister know I was going to? Oh, I can’t forget when I got this shiner,” Her fingers brushed over her black eye before she shook her head.

“We haven’t spoken much about your uncle. Would you like to now?” Ripley asked. “Or we can start with you not telling Elena that you were going to let Jenna in on this secret.”

The real thing that was bothering Andy was something she couldn’t talk to Dr. Ripley about. Every time she closed her eyes, her mind would flash back to that one moment… the one moment in which Elijah looked at her with a furious expression after Damon had removed the dagger. She wasn’t sure why that was the image that haunted her mind, but she remembered the terrible feeling in her stomach as he gazed down at her. Moreover, ever since Elijah had been taken to the Salvatore Boarding House to be locked down, she felt as if she was missing _something_. It wasn’t as if she felt a limb had been taken from her, no to her she felt as if it was wondering if you left the iron on at home.

She did know that she had experienced the same feeling when Elena daggered Elijah that she felt when Alaric had originally daggered him. She hadn’t even begun to think what that meant or if it was a sympathy pain she had felt. However, with him out of their lives, she didn’t want to consider what it meant.

“I’m certain Jenna will confront Elena… There’s no way she won’t,” Andy admitted. “It’s already been a week since I told her. She’s acted like nothing changed and I don’t know how to feel. She’ll talk about it to me but when it comes to Elena or Jeremy or Ric… She just plays dumb.”

“Do you think it may be because she wants them to tell her themselves? Testing them to see if she will or not,” Ripley suggested.

“Maybe…” She shrugged. “They’re all going to that thing at the Grill tonight.”

“You’re not?”

“No. They might need a DD but… I can’t be that for them,” Andy stated, looking down at her hands. “I’d be too scared to be in that environment. They wouldn’t ask it of me of course. I just… I don’t know. Things have been hectic lately. I feel like I’m almost going through the motions, but I can’t ignore that I’ve been having these… negative feelings.”

Dr. Ripley leaned forward a bit. “What do you mean by negative feelings?”

“I feel like I can’t trust anybody,” She admitted, looking up to meet the doctor’s gaze. “I mean, it feels like everyone has the same goal but they all have different game plans. They’re all willing to do whatever it takes to get to that goal without really thinking about the consequences.”

“You’re referring to your friend Damon,” Ripley concluded. “The reckless one, correct?”

“He is one of them. But there’s someone else… Elijah. I thought maybe we had the same idea, that maybe we were going to be on the same page but we most definitely were not. I was more in line with Damon than him,” Andy exhaled and shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. He’s out of my life now. He… left town.”

“Did he tell you why?”

“He had some family stuff to deal with,” Andy looked away again, the image of Elijah’s body lying in the Salvatore’s basement. “I only knew him a few days. It’s not a big deal.”

“How did you meet him?”

“A friend introduced us… Listen, he’s not someone I really want to talk about right now.”

“It looks like our time is up anyway,” Ripley said as she glanced at the clock. “Maybe next time we can talk about him more.” She led Andy out of her office and wished her a good night. As Andy walked to her car, she glanced up at the darkening sky. She could go join Jenna, Elena, Bonnie, and Caroline, but she wasn’t in the mood to socialize.

Over the past week, she had dealt with work and school—which was a bitch to catch up on all of her work—but the most dramatic occurrence had been learning Katherine was out of the tomb. Fortunately, Andy hadn’t run into the vampire yet, but Elena had been stressing out that she was back in town despite her claims she wanted to help kill Klaus.

_Then again so did Elijah_ , Andy thought bitterly as she climbed into her car and began the familiar drive to the cemetery. In the past week, she had more dreams about Elijah and the blond, Nik. She knew that Nik was Elijah’s brother but her other dreams in which Nik had shorter hair and attacked her made her wonder who exactly this family was. Elijah hadn’t revealed much before he was daggered and Andy wished she had been able to get him to open up more.

Andy parked on the side of the road before walking over to her parents’ graves. She wished she had stopped for flowers but she could come back tomorrow. Kneeling down, Andy began brushing the dirt off of the headstones.

“I miss you guys so much…” She murmured, her fingers tracing over “beloved mother, wife, and sister.” She leaned forward to rest her head on her mom’s, doing her best to keep her breathing even. She wondered what they would have thought about this whole sun and the moon curse. It made her wonder if they knew about vampires.

Standing she began to walk down the row of Gilbert headstones. Her grandparents had all died when she was young. She hadn’t even gotten a chance to meet her father’s mother. She remembered all the stories her grandpa would tell about the fiery woman, someone they said Andy was like in spirit.

“Andrea,” She turned at the sound of the voice, surprised when she saw Jonas standing there. Stefan and Bonnie had gone to speak with him this morning about teaming up against Klaus but as far as she knew it hadn’t gone well. Jonas had gotten upset and left. Looking at him now, he looked as if he had been awake for days, his eyes red and swollen and bags under his eyes.

“Jonas. What’s wrong?” She asked him in worry.

“Your friends killed my son,” Jonas said, his words strained and broken.

Andy gaped at him in horror. “But why—”

“We were trying to remove the dagger from Elijah. I sent Luka in,” Jonas took a step toward her, making her feel uneasy. Jonas could easily take her out with his powers. She swallowed but stood her ground, knowing running away from a witch as powerful as he was would be futile. “And they _burned_ him to death.”

“Jonas, I am so—”

“I don’t want your apologies!”

“Then what can I do, Jonas? What can I do to help you?” Andy asked, trying to play it cool with him.

“The only way I’ll get my daughter back from Klaus is if I have both doppelgangers,” Jonas took another step forward. “I’m sorry, Andrea.” With a flick of his wrist, Andy’s eyes rolled into the back of her head as she collapsed onto the ground.

* * *

_"And that is how you properly make a mask,” Andy said proudly as she grinned over at the blond. He looked up at her with a small smile._

_“I do hope this means you will no longer taunt me for wearing terrible masks every time,” Nik replied._

_“But that is my favorite thing to do,” She pouted, causing him to chuckle. She laughed after a moment and held the mask out to him. “You did a wonderful job, Nik. You have always been wonderful at making anything you put your mind to.”_

_“Not everything…” His expression darkened for a moment as he took the mask from her. She reached over and put a hand over his, squeezing it. He looked back up at her with a weary look._

_“Nik, you cannot let him get to you. I know it is difficult but you are the strongest person I know,” She assured him. “And you know I am always here for you, no matter what happens.”_

_Nik smiled and went to speak, but a yell interrupted him. “_ Niklaus! _” Looking up, they saw Mikael coming straight for them, an angry look on his face. They both immediately stood to their feet but Nik put himself in front of her to shield her away from the angered man._

_“What are you doing, boy?” The man demanded as he stopped a few feet away from him._

_“We were just—”_

_“You were supposed to go with the hunting party, not make silly masks!” The man shouted, grabbing the mask and tearing it in half._

_“I am sorry, father,” Nik said quietly, his gaze glued to the ground. “I lost track of time.”_

_“You are nothing but a weak boy. You would have ruined the hunt just with your presence,” The man spat. “How do you expect to learn anything if you won’t put the effort in?”_

_“Nik is a great hunter,” Andy said, stepping forward to look the man in his eyes. “I believe you could learn some things from him—”_

_“Anastasia,” Nik said curtly, looking back at her with a pleading look. Mikael’s anger shone through his gaze as he stared her down. She felt a fear rise in her stomach, realizing that it might have just been better to stay silent. How could she when he was speaking to Nik like that?_

_“Mikael, my love,” Andy looked over to see an older blonde woman watching them with a frightened expression. “Kol needs help with the boar. Please, my love. Elijah is busy trying to find Rebekah. She’s run off on an adventure again. Finn went along with him.”_

_Mikael turned to look at the two with a distasteful expression. “You will not be attending now since it is so important to you. If your father has any sense, girl, he would ban you from it as well.” With that, Mikael stormed off toward the blonde woman._

_Once he was out of sight, Nik turned to her in irritation. “Why did you say that to him?”_

_She bent down to pick up the torn mask. “Because he a father shouldn’t speak to their son like that,” She said as she wondered if she would be able to repair it. “I think we can repair it.”_

_“I don’t care about the bloody mask!” Nik hit it out of her hands. She looked at him in surprise as he looked back with a guilty expression. She bent down and picked up the pieces again before she sat down and turned away from him. “I’m sorry, Ana.”_

_“It is fine, Nik,” She murmured. She wasn’t angry at him or even hurt because she knew it was Mikael’s influence. Still, she believed he was better than that no matter how hard it was to be better than Mikael. “You should go find Elijah. I made him a mask as well. One of us should be able to enjoy them.”_

When Andy came to, her brain was foggy and she thought she was in her own bed. However, after a few moments of thought, the memories of Jonas knocking her out cold in the cemetery came flooding back. She sat up and looked around to see she was in a room she had been in before. It was Jonas’ house, which she remembered from when Elijah had taken her here. She was laid on the couch in the living room and a smell hit her nose that threatened to spill the contents up her stomach up.

Her eyes landed on a charred body and she had to stop herself from vomiting. Jumping to her feet she ran for the front door. She was able to open the door but as she tried to walk through the door she ran into an invisible barrier. She did her best to try to walk through but couldn’t. Jonas must have spelled the house. She didn’t have her phone on her as well so she was scared that she may not have an easy escape route from here.

She held her breath as she glanced around for a phone to call anyone but she had no such luck. Instead of sitting with the dead body of who she assumed was Luka, she moved into the kitchen to see if they had any food. The least Jonas could do was feed her.

Andy could see that it was light outside and the clock on the stove indicated it was just before eleven. She had been out for well over ten hours. Eventually settling for Cheerios, she sat at the table and stared out the window. They would notice her absence soon enough and if Jonas was going after Elena as he indicated, then they would know to look here. Then again it had been quite a while since Jonas took her. Shouldn’t they know by now?

As she pushed her cereal around the bowl, she found herself not as hungry as she thought to Luka’s corpse in the other room. Had they really killed him? She had only seen him once but he was their age. He was just a teenager and he had died in a horrible way. All because he was trying to help Elijah.

_Elijah_. Her mind went back to her dream she had woken up from. She had been making masks with Nik… or Niklaus, whatever his name was that Mikael had called him. _What an odd name_ , she thought as she repeated it to herself. She suddenly felt it dawn on her what the name was broken down. _Niklaus. Nik. Klaus_.

Exhaling she felt a sense of dread wash over her. Surely it was just a coincidence… but why would Elijah want to kill his brother? He had said he wanted to kill Klaus because he destroyed his family, not their family. If Elijah truly wanted to kill Klaus, then disclosing the information they were brothers wouldn’t help his case. Who would kill their own brother?

What frightened her most was that this meant she had been dreaming about Klaus for a nearly month without realizing it. She had only told John and Elijah, how was she supposed to the others? _Hey, so I’ve been having some weird ass dreams with Klaus so I know what he looks like!_

_Wait, I_ do _know what he looks like_ , she realized as she jumped to her feet and rushed to find a piece of paper and pen. Once she found them, she quickly sketched down everything she remembered. Her drawing wasn’t entirely accurate but she needed this for the others so they would know what he looked like. At this point, she didn’t care whether or not they believed her about weird dreams.

As she finished the sketch, she heard the door open. She jumped to her feet and glanced around for a weapon before finally grabbing a knife. She had no intention of killing Jonas, but she also didn’t want to be unarmed. He had just lost his son. There was no telling what his intentions were now. She leaned against the wall and listened to see if she could hear if he had anyone with him. The last thing she needed was to accidentally stab Elena if he had gotten her.

“Yep. Everybody's dead.” She jumped in surprise as Damon’s voice. She rushed around the corner and saw him, Bonnie, and Jeremy entering the apartment.

“Thank God!” Andy exhaled as she dropped the knife and rushed over to them. “I thought you guys would never come.”

“What are you doing here?” Jeremy asked in shock.

“Uh… Jonas kidnapped me last night?” She said, looking at their expressions. They all were looking back at her in surprise and she felt as if she had been slapped. “And you guys didn’t notice. Huh.”

“We just figured you were out doing your own thing,” Bonnie admitted.

“A lot of stuff happened last night, okay? We just didn’t think about it,” Damon added.

“Wow, that makes me feel so much better,” Andy grumbled as she turned her back to them. “So, if you’re not here for me then why are you here?”

“We came to get the grimoires. They spent years collecting them. I wanna make sure they're safe,” Bonnie answered. “Andy, I’m sorry we didn’t notice.”

Andy ignored her apology and instead switched the subject back. “You don’t think Jonas is going to argue with that?” She asked, turning to look at the witch as she walked over and began taking the grimoires off the shelf.

“Jonas is dead,” Jeremy said. She looked at them in shock.

“ _What?_ ”

“Katherine killed him,” Damon said as he walked over to Luka’s corpse.

“And you killed Luka,” Andy guessed as she leaned against the wall. It felt as if so many people had died in the last month alone. Damon was always so flippant about killing as was Elijah.

Damon glanced over at her before he looked to Bonnie. “You know, we could just get another match and cremate him.”

Bonnie shook her head. “Don't be disrespectful. Not to him.”

“Fine. I'll bury him.” Damon said as he walked away from the corpse and over to Andy. She turned and walked into the kitchen, snatching the drawing of Klaus. She wondered how to bring it up to them.

“What exactly are we looking for?” Jeremy asked after a moment.

“According to Luka's dad, one of these contains a spell that'll let me harness the energy that's left behind when a witch dies violently,” Bonnie explained.

Damon snorted. “I didn't know you and father witch were so close.”

“We weren't but when he gave me my powers back, he gave me a message. If I can find the spot in town, where the old Salem witches were burned, I can harness their energy to use when I need it,” Bonnie said as Andy walked back into the room, leaning against the doorway.

“Great. We'll have to put that on our list of things to do today. Harness ancient dead-witch power,” Damon said, pretending to write it down on his palm.

“You know where the witches were burned?” Andy asked in surprise. She had remembered that Elijah wanted to know and Damon had acted as if he knew but she didn’t actually expect Damon to know where it was.

Damon smirked at them. “Did I forget to mention that?”

Jeremy picked up a grimoire and began flipping through it. “Are we gonna have to read through every one of these books till we find the right spell?”

“Not exactly,” Bonnie stated as she looked at the shelf. She closed her eyes and raised her hands. All the books fell and one of them opened right in front of her. She smiled and leaned down to pick it up, turning to show them. “It's this one.”

“Great. Grab the rest. Let's go,” Damon said as he walked toward the front door. Andy followed him, tucking the drawing into her pocket. She decided she would feel more comfortable if she told Stefan and Elena at the same time. She didn’t need to deal with Damon’s sarcasm yet.

She walked into the invisible barrier and turned to look at Bonnie. The witch barely glanced up as she waved her hand, allowing Andy to finally pass through the threshold. She turned to look at Damon. “You said a lot of stuff happened last night. Like what?”

Damon hesitated. “Well, for one, Isobel decided to show up.”

Andy’s eyebrows shot up. “Wait, Isobel as in Elena and I’s birth mother?”

“That very one,” He confirmed. “She showed up at your house and revealed to Jenna she was alive. Imagine everyone’s surprise when Jenna played it cool and acted as if nothing was wrong. Well, sort of. She was a bit angry at Elena. My understanding is that Jeremy and Elena received a lecture for not telling her sooner. But Jenna’s not angry at you. I guess it pays to spill the beans every now and again.”

Andy rolled her eyes. “Jenna deserved to know, Damon. We couldn’t keep her in the dark forever. She needed to know what’s coming. When Elijah wasn’t daggered she would’ve been safe, but now we don’t have an Original on our side to be a bodyguard. I wasn’t going to lie to her forever. It’s not like she believed me.”

“Well, she believes you at least a little more now. Though she is still a _little_ put out with Ric…”

“Maybe she wanted them to tell her before she revealed she knew about it all along,” Andy suggested as Bonnie and Jeremy headed toward them.

“Maybe. We should go. I don’t trust Isobel or John being in Mystic Falls unsupervised.”

* * *

“Do you really think that Isobel's telling the truth that word's gotten out about the doppelgängers?” Elena asked as they all stood around in the library. Bonnie and Jeremy were upstairs preparing to go perform the ritual later while Jenna was out with Alaric as they finally sorted through their problems. Andy was downstairs talking to the Salvatores and Elena about what had occurred earlier in the morning.

Apparently, John had ended up inviting Isobel into the house. Their mother claimed that she wanted to help them and had set up a safe house for them that no vampires could get into. Elena had rightfully told Isobel to screw off and for once Andy was glad to have been kidnapped. A part of her was curious about Isobel, but the other part of her could only ever see Miranda Gilbert as her mother. She didn’t want another one because no one would ever measure up to her mother.

“Look, I don't trust a word that she says, but I think we'd be stupid to ignore the warning,” Stefan said. Isobel’s game plan had been to find Klaus before he found the doppelgangers, but he had allegedly already heard rumors of them. She believed it was to be any minute he showed up in Mystic Falls.

“You know, you two should just stay here. It's better for us to keep an eye on you both,” Damon suggested. “Andy was kidnapped last night and none of us noticed.”

Stefan scoffed. “What, in the house that any vampire can enter? No. Their house is safer.”

“Well, then we'll stay there,” Damon suggested.

“No, you won’t. Jenna or John wouldn’t be okay with that,” Andy pointed out.

Elena sighed and shook her head. “So is that the plan? Neither of you will let us out of your sight again?”

Damon shrugged. “Let me know when you come up with a better one.”

“Fine. Then one of you two bodyguards is gonna have to come with me to the Lockwood luncheon,” Elena said.

Stefan cleared his throat. “That'd be me.”

“Not me. I have witch stuff to attend to with Bonnie,” Damon said before he looked at Andy. “You can come if you want. I’d hate for you to be kidnapped again.”

“I’m cool with waiting here,” Andy admitted. “I think Jenna was wanting to talk after she’s done with Ric.”

Elena leaned forward. “Does that mean that you're taking Bonnie to the...”

“Shh,” Damon muttered, putting his finger to his mouth as he spoke.

“Don't get quiet on my account,” Andy looked up and felt chills run over her at seeing Katherine. It was weird to see two of Elena in one room together even if their styles were completely different. The last time she had seen the vampire was when she was still in the tomb. “If you have a plan to combat the impending vampire doom, please do tell.” Damon looked at Stefan with a raised eyebrow but the room remained silent. “Seriously, what is the plan to get us out of this mess, hmm? I delivered you a moonstone, a werewolf, and the dagger to lure and kill Klaus, and right now all you have is a moonstone. Or so you tell me.”

“No, we have it,” Damon replied.

“Where is it?”

“It's in a _very_ safe place,” He said, giving her a mocking look.

“I've been honest with you. Time to return the favor,” Katherine said, folding her arms over her chest.

“Let me be honest with you. Don't mistake the fact that we haven't set you on fire in your sleep for trust,” Damon said, causing Elena to smile.

“Fine. Be that way.” Katherine snapped, her gaze briefly landing on Andy before she left the room.

“Well, time to hit the road,” Damon said, clasping his hands together.

“Wait, there’s something else,” Andy said, causing them to look at her. She stood and pulled out the folded piece of paper from her pocket. “You’re all going to think I’m crazy but… well, I’ve been having these weird dreams the last few weeks.”

“Is now really time for dream interpretation?” Damon questioned.

Andy rolled her eyes at him but continued speaking. “I think they might be memories. From the original doppelganger, the one I look like. Her name was Anastasia.”

Elena looked at her sister in concern. “What makes you think they’re memories?”

“Because when I brought them up to Elijah and mentioned specific details about them and the people in them, he got spooked,” She explained, unfolding the paper and showing them the face she had drawn earlier. “I think this is Klaus. He’s been in a few but I heard someone call him Niklaus. I think Klaus is short for it.”

Stefan looked over at Elena. “Have you had any dreams like that?”

“No, not even with Katherine…”

Andy looked at the doorway where Katherine had disappeared. Maybe she knew something about the dreams. After all, her sister was a doppelganger as well. “Well,” Damon said as he took the paper from Andy. “He certainly has an interesting look to him. That is if this is even Klaus and not your brain playing tricks.”

Andy took the paper back from him with a roll of her eyes. “I knew I shouldn’t have said anything. Why don’t you go run your little errands, huh? Forget about me. You seem to have no problem in doing that,” She said coldly to him before she left the room and went to find Katherine. The vampire was sitting in a study, a book in her hands as she relaxed with her feet on the desk.

“I figured you’d come in here sooner or later,” The vampire commented as she sat the book to the side. She sat up and looked at Andy with her dark eyes and a smirk. “You’ve been enjoying your little dreams about Elijah and Klaus, I take it?”

“Your sister, Milena… Did she experience similar dreams?” Andy asked as she walked closer to the doppelganger, though kept a safe distance between them. She knew Katherine wouldn’t hurt her—not unless she wanted to be handed to Klaus on a silver platter. Still, she knew better than to get too close to a snake.

“She did actually. Though it wasn’t until after we made it to England and met Elijah,” Katherine said as she stood. Andy warily watched as the woman crossed from behind the desk and walked over to her. “I seem to be forgetting some details…”

Andy stared at her with a hard expression, knowing full well that Katherine wanted something from her. She shook her head and folded her arms across her chest. “I have nothing you would want, Katherine. Either you’re going to give me information or you’re not. I’m not going to broker a deal with the devil.”

“I don’t think you fully grasp that I’m not the devil. If you had the dreams Milena did, you would have realized long ago that Klaus is,” Katherine stopped right in front of Andy. “Let me see the drawing.”

Andy studied the vampire’s expression for a moment, wondering if she could trust her. With a sigh, she reluctantly handed over the piece of paper. Katherine looked over it with a neutral expression, not giving one thing away on her face. Finally, she looked back up at Andy and handed her the paper.

“Surprisingly accurate.”

“Wait, so it _is_ Klaus?” Andy asked in concern.

“Better looking than you thought, huh?” Katherine raised an eyebrow at her.

“I’m more worried than I am turned on,” Andy replied dryly as she looked down at the drawing. “Elijah freaked out when I told him…” She looked back up at Katherine. “Why didn’t you tell us they were brothers?”

Katherine looked surprised for a moment that Andy knew that information but quickly covered it up. “It didn’t seem important.”

Andy scoffed and shook her head. “You really are something, aren’t you?” She folded the drawing and slipped it into her back pocket. “You allowed Milena to distract Klaus. Why? Are you that self-preserving?”

“Better them than—”

“I saw your expression when you mentioned your family had been slaughtered, Katherine. She was your twin. She left her home so you wouldn’t be alone. You can’t tell me that some part of you didn’t want to leave her behind,” Andy pointed out. “You had to have known she was going to die if she stayed behind.”

“She was my sister… but she was foolish,” Katherine finally answered, her expression hard and eyes cold. “She trusted Elijah and it ended up nearly getting me killed. It was her own decision to right her wrong by distracting them so I could escape. I didn’t look back once.” The vampire moved back over to the desk. “Maybe you could take a page out of my book. If Klaus makes it to town, you’ll be the first one he hones in on, especially if he manages to break the curse. Leave town before he even gets close. Better Elena than you.”

“I guess Milena and I are more similar than I thought. I won’t leave my sister behind,” Andy said before she turned and headed for the door.

“Then you’re as stupid as Milena was.”

“But I’m not as alone as you are,” She shot over her shoulder before leaving the room. As she got further away from the door, she let out a breath of relief. A part of her had been scared Katherine would break a bone for talking to her like that.

As Andy walked back downstairs, she noticed the other three had left her alone there with Katherine. Figuring it was better than being out on her own, she went to the library to kill some time. Eventually, her phone rang with a call from Jenna.

“ _Sorry, Andy. Ric and I needed to have a_ very _long discussion_ ,” Jenna said as she answered.

“No, it’s okay, Jen. How are you feeling? I’ve been worried all morning,” Andy asked as she leaned back into the sofa.

“ _A bit out of it honestly. I was scared that they would compel me… but they didn’t. I still don’t know what to think even after Ric explained everything. I mean, he just repeated everything you did but with a lot more detail. I don’t think my brain has fully processed the whole vampire thing yet but Ric says it will take seeing one in action before it fully hits me,_ ” She explained. “ _But don’t worry—I plan on giving Elena the biggest lecture for not realizing you were gone until they found you this morning. I’ve yet to give myself a lecture about it, but I figured you could do it for me if you wanted._ ”

Andy laughed warily as she ran a hand down her face. “I’m not gonna lie. It kinda hurt when I found out no one realized Jonas had nabbed me. I get a lot of crazy shit is happening but it would’ve been nice for somebody to notice I was MIA, especially _after_ he went after Elena.”

“ _Well, be assured I’m not letting you out of my sight once, Andy. Not until this douche Klaus is dead and buried. Even then I’m probably going to keep you on one of those baby leashes._ ”

“If I never have to leave home, I won’t complain,” Andy gave a half-smile at the image.

“ _I just want us to be safe. I’m angry at them for not telling me sooner. Telling_ us _sooner. You had to be kidnapped before they let you in on the secret. I’m just fortunate you decided to tell me when you did or otherwise I wouldn’t be staying in Mystic Falls if Isobel showed up,_ ” Jenna admitted in a somber tone. “ _I can’t believe she’s still alive. I mean, even you said you didn’t know if she was still alive. And to find out Damon was the one to turn her? It’s too much. Even more disgusting when I saw her and John together. He looked like a lost puppy around her. Thankfully Elena kicked her out before I had to._ ”

“I still haven’t met her yet. Don’t think I want to…” Andy trailed off, her mind going to her real mother who she had lost all those months ago, along with her father.

“ _I know, Andy. And you shouldn’t have to if you don’t want to,_ ” Jenna said firmly. “ _If she tries to show up without letting someone know, I’m kicking John out of the house permanently. He should understand that you don’t want to be uncomfortable even if she wants to help stop Klaus._ ”

“You’re right,” Andy said with a sigh. “So, what are you up to now?”

“ _Ric’s dropping me off at the Lockwood’s. I’m meeting Stefan and Elena at the donation to the Miranda Sommers-Gilbert scholarship fund_.”

“Right…” Andy trailed off when she saw Katherine had walked into the room. She watched her in curiosity as she continued talking to Jenna. “I would’ve gone but… not really in the mood to be around people.”

“ _I know, Andy. How about we have that long-awaited movie night later? I’d prefer we avoid any supernatural movies but every other genre is fair game,_ ” Jenna said. Andy watched as Katherine went over to the liquor table and noticed a syringe hanging out of her back pocket. The vampire’s hair was straightened now just like Elena’s.

“That’d be nice. Can you tell Elena and Stefan to hurry? I have to pick up my check from work by four so I can avoid the lines but I don’t want to leave the house alone,” Andy said, doing her best to keep her voice even. Jenna knew that her checks were a direct deposit and hoped that Jenna would catch the hint of her uneasiness. If anything, she could let Alaric know to come get her.

“ _Of course, but you know Carol, she’ll drag an event out for hours_ ,” Jenna pointed out. Katherine poured herself a drink before taking a sip and turning to face Andy, her expression blank as she stared her down. Andy did her best to control her heart rate, knowing that Katherine could probably sense Andy’s fear. “ _Ric is gonna come pick you up if that’s okay. Maybe you guys can stop by the grocery store on your way home? Unless you wanted takeout._ ”

“A home-cooked meal would be nice. But that means he better book it over here because I am not going to wait in long lines all night.”

“ _He said he’ll be there in twenty. Be ready to leave_.”

After hanging up with Jenna, Andy stood to her feet and faced Katherine. “I thought our conversation was over,” She commented, looking the vampire’s appearance over again. She looked eerily like Elena. She was planning something, which made Andy glad that Jenna had caught on that something was wrong.

“It was… but I found something,” Katherine pulled the moonstone from her back pocket.

“Y-You’re not supposed to have that,” Andy pointed out and moved forward to take it, but Katherine kept it out of her reach. She watched Katherine wearily and her fingers curled around her phone.

“I am if my deal with Klaus is going to work out,” Katherine said, speeding toward Andy and yanking her phone away. She crushed the phone in her hand before dropping it to the ground. “Do you want to do this the hard way or the easy way?”

Andy knew that she could take Katherine in a fight. “You made a deal with Klaus?” She questioned.

“I told you to leave town, didn’t I?” Katherine commented before she pulled the syringe from her back pocket. “Don’t worry, Andy, this won’t hurt. I can’t make the same promise for Elena…”

Katherine sped toward her. Andy did her best to bolt but Katherine easily grabbed her, pushing the syringe into her neck. Once Katherine released her, she began to run for the door, believing if she made it outside she would be okay. However, she barely made it to the front door before she collapsed, her vision blurry and head spinning.

“Better you than me.” Katherine murmured as she came to stand over her again.

* * *

When Andy came to, she moaned at her throbbing headache. Blinking her eyes open, it took a moment for her vision to adjust to the bright sun. She was in a car and it was speeding down the road. Turning her head, she expected to see Katherine and instead saw an unfamiliar woman with dark brown hair. The woman turned to look at her, her green eyes void of emotion.

“You’re awake. I thought you’d be out forever,” The woman said as she turned her attention back to the road. “There’s a bottle of water for you.” Andy looked down in the cup holder and saw the bottle, but stared at it cautiously. “There’s nothing in the water, Andy. We wouldn’t drug you twice.”

Andy reluctantly picked up the water and took a sip, her throat immediately feeling better. Her head still felt cloudy and she glanced out the window, trying to see if she recognized anything.

“So, you’re one of Katherine’s lackeys?” She asked finally, keeping her head turned away.

“No, Katherine was one of my lackeys.”

“‘Was’?” Andy turned to look at the woman. The woman looked at her closely before exhaling.

“You don’t know who I am, do you?”

“Should I?”

The woman paused before speaking. “My name is Isobel Flemming. I’m your mother, Andy.”

Andy felt herself recoil and looked at the woman in shock. _This_ was Isobel? This was the woman she had no desire to meet? And she had kidnapped her to give her to Klaus. “I wanted to come to you sooner, but I didn’t want to frighten you. You’re a lot less approachable than your sister,” Isobel continued, glancing in the rearview mirror. “She should be awake soon as well.”

Andy swallowed and looked in the back seat of the car, seeing that Elena was unconscious and lying down. She turned and faced forward, her mind clearing up as she realized the severity of their situation. Katherine had sold them out to Klaus, and Isobel had orchestrated it. She had said that Katherine was one of her lackeys. Her real mother would have never even considered it and her real mother wasn’t so cold.

“So, that’s your plan? Selling your only two children to Klaus like cattle? What are you getting out of this anyway? Don't you like your sunlight ring? Or maybe he offered you a place in his inner circle or some long lost secret. You are a researcher, right?” Andy demanded, turning back to her mother with bitterness in her voice. “Well, you’re just mother of the year, aren’t you? You and Katherine must be besties.”

“I’m not selling you to Klaus, Andy,” Isobel said before her phone rang and interrupted her. She held up her index finger to tell Andy to wait as she answered it, putting it on speaker. “Are we good to go?”

“ _I'm at your house, but we have to hurry,_ ” Katherine’s voice rang through the air, causing Andy to glare over at Isobel. “ _Damon knows your lodging tricks. It will take him all of 20 minutes to find out where you're staying_.”

“We'll be long gone before that,” Isobel answered, keeping her eyes on the road.

“ _Good. How far are you?_ ”

Isobel hesitated before she spoke. “I'm sorry, Katherine,” Andy glanced over at Isobel in confusion. She heard movement in the back seat and turned to see Elena was beginning to wake up. “I had to do what I was told. He wanted the moonstone and he wanted you.”

“ _He? He who?_ ” Isobel reached over and hung up her phone.

Andy exhaled and looked over at the vampire in shock. “You’re giving her to Klaus, aren’t you? You really are working with him.”

Isobel didn’t respond and instead looked in the rearview mirror at Elena, who was sitting up with a groan. “Hello, Elena.”

Elena glanced around and saw Andy, her eyes widening. “Katherine—”

“Is now in Klaus’ hands,” Isobel interrupted. “You will never have problems with her again.”

“Klaus is going to kill her,” Andy pointed out, turning to look at Elena in worry. “And he’ll kill Elena if you give us to him, Isobel. You let him have the moonstone so now all he needs is Elena, a vampire, and a werewolf. We’re your own flesh and blood.”

“There’s no use trying to reason with her, Andy,” Elena said, glaring at the vampire. “She’s never been on our side. Her and Katherine have been working against us this entire time… but why betray Katherine? She could have left town but she stayed. If she was your friend you would have told her to leave so then all you had to do was get the moonstone. You could have easily stolen it on your own.”

Isobel remained quiet for a few moments. Andy looked out the window and saw that they were entering Grove Hill cemetery. She exhaled and looked over at Isobel, wondering what was going on. Without a word, the woman stopped the car and climbed out of the car. She looked back at them with a blank expression.

“Just because you can't be compelled doesn't mean I can't force you to come with me,” She pointed out to them. The sisters glanced at one another before they both climbed out. Isobel walked around the car to meet them.

“So, is that what happened? You were compelled to betray Katherine?” Elena asked, the dots beginning to connect in her mind.

“If I was, I couldn't tell you,” Isobel said with a shrug as she began walking. They reluctantly began following after her, sticking closely by one another’s side.

“So, you lied. You did find Klaus, didn't you?” Elena’s expression turned to one of horror. “He knows where we are now. Are you taking us to him?” Isobel didn’t answer but instead walked to a tombstone and crouched down in front of it.

“What is this?” Andy asked, seeing Isobel’s name on it as she cleared the leaves off it.

_In loving memory_

_Isobel Flemming_

_Jan 18, 1978 - May 4, 2007_

Andy exhaled and exchanged a glance with her sister as Isobel began speaking. “My parents, your grandparents, they put it here when it became clear that the police weren't gonna find my body. They visit every week, and they bring flowers, even though there's no one buried here,” For the first time, Andy detected some emotion in her voice. Sadness, melancholy, and what she thought sounded like regret. “The Isobel they knew is dead. So maybe there's a part of me that's buried here, the-the human part, the part that I abandoned when I…” She looked up at them with a blank expression. “When I choose to become a vampire, the part that used to dream about the day that she'd know her daughters.”

“What?” Elena asked in surprise.

Isobel shrugged and turned to face them. “And instead you both only got to meet the other part... The part that would betray her own flesh and blood.” Isobel phone rang and she immediately answered it. “Yes… Let them go?” Andy and Elena looked at each other in shock as they listened to the one side of the conversation. Was she talking to Klaus…? “I'm done?” After another moment, Isobel hung up with a look of relief.

“Who was that?” Andy asked.

“I'm so sorry, Elena and Andy. I was such a disappointment to both of you,” Isobel said before she reached for her necklace. However, before she could reach it, her neck was suddenly snapped and Damon stood behind her.

“Someone’s got some explaining to do,” Damon commented, looking down at the body.

“Are you okay?” Stefan asked as he rushed over to Elena.

“Yeah, we’re fine,” Elena nodded. “How did you guys find us?”

“Someone had the brilliant idea to tip Alaric and Jenna off,” Damon said as he looked to Andy. “It didn’t take long to get Bonnie to smack a locator spell on you two. She’s been keeping us updated in real time.”

Andy exhaled and looked at Isobel’s unconscious body. “She’s been compelled, I think. We need to hurry up and lock her down somewhere.”

Damon leaned down and picked up Isobel, slinging her over his shoulder. “Let’s get out of here before we get ambushed by any of Klaus’ goons.”

* * *

Andy sat across from Jenna and Elena in the library at the Salvatores. “I can’t believe she tried to kill herself,” Jenna said as they finished explaining to her what Isobel had told them. John was lying on the ground by the fire, still knocked out. Katherine had killed him earlier but fortunately, he still had the ring to bring him back. They were waiting until he woke up to question him.

“She had been compelled,” Elena explained. “That’s the only explanation for why she would kill herself. I don’t know if she was compelled to betray us, but at the very least Klaus wanted her dead.”

“And now we have her locked up,” Andy stated. “But that compulsion’s not going to wear off, is it? She’s going to keep on trying until she’s successful.”

“We can try to break it,” Stefan said as he walked into the room. “That’s our only shot to find out more about Klaus. If we can get her to tell us information then we’re at least a step ahead of Klaus again.”

“Why did they let us go?” Elena questioned as Stefan came to sit next to her.

He exhaled. “Well, anything John told Isobel, we have to assume that Klaus knows, right? So, he knows that you're not gonna turn yourself into a vampire. He knows that you have us keeping you both safe.”

“He knows I'm not gonna run,” Elena realized with horror. Damon walked into the room with a stack of paper.

“Which is why we need to take some precautions, 'cause we got played, all of us,” The elder Salvatore said, dropping the papers in Elena’s lap.

“What's this?” She asked as she picked them up to examine.

“It's the deed to our house. It's in Zach's name. As soon as you sign it, it'll be in your name.”

Elena looked up at her boyfriend in shock. “You're giving me your house?”

“Isobel had the right idea with the safe house. You all need to just stay here till it's all over,” Stefan said, looking over the three women. “That way, you can control who gets invited and who doesn't.”

“Although I'll be super pissed if you lock me out,” Damon commented. John suddenly gasped for air and sat up. Damon rushed over to him and lifted him up by his collar, a deadly expression on his face.

“I swear I had no idea what she was gonna do,” John said, looking over to Andy and Elena. “I'm sorry. I'm so, so _sorry_.”

“Damon, let him go,” Elena said as she stood. “He and I need to talk.”

Damon reluctantly released John, but by the murderous look on his face, he wasn’t quite done with John just yet. “We’ll leave you guys alone,” Stefan said, giving Damon a stern look before he headed toward the door. Damon glowered at John once before he headed for the door as well.

“If he tries anything, let me know. I wouldn’t mind killing him one more time to teach him a lesson,” Damon called over his shoulder before he disappeared from the room.

“I’m so sorry to you both,” John said as he walked over to them. “I didn’t know—”

“Sit down,” Elena said. John swallowed and sat down in a chair across from her and looked up at them. Andy and Jenna sat adjacent to them and watched with scowls of their own. Elena sat down across from him before speaking. “You told Isobel everything, didn’t you?” He nodded, the guilt written all over his face. “We have to assume she told Klaus everything.”

“What happened?” John asked tentatively.

“Katherine kidnapped us and gave us to Isobel,” Andy explained, pulling his gaze away from Elena. “And then Isobel betrayed Katherine by handing her and the moonstone over to Klaus. Isobel gave us the sob story of her parents before she received a call from presumably Klaus. He had compelled her to kill herself.” John looked back, shocked and even a bit afraid. “Don’t worry though. Damon and Stefan managed to get there in enough time because of Alaric realizing that I was missing, you know the guy you’ve been an asshole to since you’ve been back in town? Isobel’s locked away where she can’t hurt herself or anyone else anymore. Klaus had told her to let us go.”

“I am so sorry,” John whispered, looking down at the ground. “This is all my fault.”

“Yes, it is,” Jenna cut in. “Did you know that she was friends with Katherine?”

John looked back up them. “I always knew that she and Katherine were close, but I never realized that Isobel and her were working against me. Two of the world's most uncaring and selfish vampires, and yet they were genuinely friends…”

“If that's what you thought of her, why did you ever put your trust in her at all?” Elena asked.

“Because I was there when she gave birth to you two,” John said, glancing in between them. “I saw how heartbroken she was to give you both up. And because she was the first girl I ever loved, and when she said she'd help keep you safe... I believed her.” He hesitated a moment. “At this point, I will do whatever you both want me to do. If you feel safer with me not around, then I'll go.” He stood with a sad expression.

Andy and Elena exchanged a look. Andy gave her sister a curt nod before Elena turned to face John. “You screw up everything, John. Everything you touch just falls apart. But you're truly the only parent I have left... so maybe I can learn not to hate you,” Elena said as she stood.

John smiled at her. “Okay.”

Andy stood as well before she turned and walked out of the room. She didn’t have the desire to speak with John right now even if he didn’t mean it. Jenna followed behind her. “What do you think about staying here, Andy?”

“I think it would be safe, but I also don’t know if I’d be able to survive staying in the same house as Damon,” Andy said as she went into the kitchen. “What about you?”

“It’s safer,” Jenna admitted. “I thought about asking Ric but… I don’t know. I haven’t even spoken to him since he left to pick you up and found you weren’t there.”

“That’s weird,” Andy frowned. “Maybe Damon knows?”

“I’ll ask,” Jenna started to walk away but paused, looking back at her niece. “I want you to know I love you, Andy. And I’m here if you need to talk, okay? I know it’s not easy talking to Dr. Ripley. But you know I’ll never judge you.”

Andy smiled small at her. “Thanks, Jen.” Jenna smiled back before leaving the room. Andy felt chills go over her body as she got the feeling she was being watched. She turned to the window and looked out it but only saw her reflection. Moving closer, she peered out the window to see if she could see anything but saw nothing.

“You okay, Andy?” Elena asked as she walked into the room.

“Yeah. Just a bit paranoid,” Andy said, turning to face her with a tired smile. Elena brought the papers over to the island and sat them on the counter. “How are you feeling?”

“Honestly? A bit afraid for the first time in a few days,” Elena said. “Everything just became so real. Klaus will be here any day.”

“Well, the good thing is we’ve got some time to regroup,” Andy pointed out as she walked over to her sister. “What could Isobel know that Klaus wanted her gone? I mean, she was a skilled researcher. Sure, it could have been a power move but maybe it was because she knows something else.”

Elena sighed. “At this point, I can’t even think about that. I just want to curl into bed and sleep for a while.”

“Oh, come on we were going to watch _Ferris Buller’s_ ,” Andy whined playfully. “You old people are no fun.”

Elena laughed and shook her head. “We’ve got school tomorrow.”

“That hasn’t stopped us before, has it?” Andy pointed out.

“Fine. One movie,” Elena caved.

“You get the snacks, I’ll go tell Jenna,” Andy said with a grin. “And _maybe_ Stefan can join us.”

Elena continued smiling as Andy began backing away. Her eye caught something in the window and she could have sworn she saw a figure by the woods but decided it was just her imagination.

“Everything okay?” Elena asked, seeing her sister’s expression.

“Yeah, just seeing stuff,” Andy waved it off as she turned and went to leave the room, unable to shake the uneasy feeling that had settled over her. She felt a tingling sensation all over her body but didn’t know what it was. She found herself walking around the house to find Jenna and saw the basement door. Unable to help herself, she found herself creeping down the stairs.

Once in the basement, she walked to the first door and peeked through the opening on the door to see that Elijah’s dirtied body laid on the ground with the dagger still in his heart. She stared at the body for a few moments before she backed away and looked at the door that held Isobel behind it.

“Everything okay?” Andy jumped and tuned to see Damn standing behind her.

“Yeah, just was coming to see if Isobel was awake,” Andy said, not sure why she had come down here.

“Jenna was looking for you. Apparently, Ric has some stuff to do tonight so she won’t be going to his apartment,” Damon explained. He glanced back at the door with Elijah behind it. “Probably should go start that movie before it gets too late. John already left so you don’t have to deal with him at least. However, this _is_ my home so you’re going to have to put up with me.”

Andy nodded and glanced over at both doors before she walked around Damon. “Don’t hurt Isobel too much, Damon. Not until we’re sure to what extent the compulsion affected her. She’ll want you to kill her.”

“No promises.”

Andy walked upstairs, the heavy feeling remaining in her chest even as they started the movie. Every once and a while she would glance out the windows when she was certain Jenna or Elena weren’t looking. By the time they had fallen asleep, Andy found herself alone with Stefan who was heading to bed as well.

“Stefan,” Andy called, causing him to turn to her. “Do you think Klaus is already in town?”

“No,” Stefan said with a shake of his head. “Otherwise, what would be the point of sending Isobel and Katherine to get the moonstone? If he’s as strong as they say, or even as strong as Elijah, then he would have been able to easily take us out.”

“I just… have this weird feeling is all,” She admitted, glancing out the window. “But it’s probably just from today. Sorry. Go get some sleep.”

“Klaus isn’t going to hurt you, Andy. No matter what, I won’t let that happen,” Stefan promised. Andy smiled small at him and nodded.

“Thank you, Stefan. Now seriously, go get some sleep. You’ve got a quiz to make up in Ric’s class,” She reminded him. He threw a smile her way before he went down the hall to his room. Andy walked into the guest room she had been given and closed the door behind her before she felt the fear begin to flood her mind. She knew one thing for certain: if Klaus had been willing to kill Isobel, he would dispose of anything that wasn’t of any use to him anymore. Katherine’s words replayed in her head as she sat on the edge of the bed.

_Leave town before he even gets close. Better Elena than you._

She pulled the picture of Klaus from her back pocket, studying it. _No, I’m not Katherine_ , she decided. _I will not be afraid of him. He will_ not _intimidate me._ Andy felt as if she was being watched again and noticed the blinds were open. She walked over and closed them before going to turn off the light.

_Stefan and Damon won’t let anything happen to you_ , she reminded herself as she climbed in the bed. _Everything will be fine_ , she repeated to herself, again and again, wondering if Klaus’ arrival in Mystic Falls would be the beginning of the end or just the end of the beginning for her.

_If Klaus makes it to town, you’ll be the first one he hones in on, especially if he manages to break the curse._

**_~ •°•°•*~_ **


	14. Turn Back Time

**_Poison & Wine ~ Chapter XIV_ **

**_~ * • ° • ° • * ~_ **

Andy washed her face with water, exhaling as she tried to get the flashes of Klaus out of her mind. She had been on edge all day and her dreams over the last few days were filled with the blue-eyed man and his taunts.

The school bell rung, causing her to sigh as she realized she would be late to class. However, since Alaric’s class was next, she was sure he would excuse it. He had been AWOL the last few days, even avoiding Jenna. She wasn't sure what was going on with him but she intended on speaking with him after class.

Walking to the class, Andy was pleasantly surprised when the assistant principal doing rounds didn't send her to get a tardy slip. Instead, the woman gave her a fatigued look and continued past her. She waltzed into Alaric’s classroom without knocking on the door, causing everyone to look up at her.

“My bad,” Andy said, sending a peace sign to Alaric before she went to take her seat behind Stefan. When she turned to look up at Alaric, she noticed he was watching her with a mixed expression. Was he going to make her go all the way to the office to get a tardy slip?

“Any particular reason you are late, Andrea?”

“The water fountain in the hall broke. Messy things, you know? Could barely make it past the Caution signs. I would hate to have to sue the school just because I sprained an ankle,” Andy said as she leaned back in her seat. There were a few chuckles from the class, and Elena sent her sister an amused smile. “Won't happen again, Mr. Saltzman. That is if the old plumbing doesn't mess up again. This town is old, as you know. I mean, you are a history teacher. You would think they could at least afford the upkeep of this place. I’ve seen how nice the elementary school is. SmartBoards in _every_ classroom. Hardly fair, is it?”

Alaric exhaled and glanced her over once, a confused look in his eyes. “Thank you for that, Andy. Perhaps you can start a petition,” He cleared his throat and turned his attention away from her. “The, uh, ahem…” He turned and wrote “the sixties” on the board as he spoke. “The Sixties. I wish there was something good I could say about the sixties, but… Actually, they kind of sucked. Except for the Beatles, of course. They made it bearable. Uh, what else was there? The Cuban missile thing, the… we walked on the moon. There was Watergate.”

Andy wished she could have forgotten the decade dance tonight but everyone had been rushing around preparing and endlessly speaking of what they were wearing. She didn’t want to go, but Caroline had already told her it was a requirement to have some fun. The only perk was that she had been able to call out of work tonight because of it. That and the fact that Klaus had sent a message to Elena during lunch via a classmate. He had asked for Elena to save her the last dance and so Andy had agreed to go tonight.

“Watergate was the seventies, Ric,” Elena corrected with a smile that quickly fell off her face as she realized her mistake. “I-I mean, Mr. Saltzman.”

“Right. It all kind of mushes together up here, the sixties, seventies. Thank you, Elena,” Alaric said with a smile before launching into a conversation about the sixties. Andy just leaned back in her chair and doodled on her paper. She would just get Stefan to tell her if she missed anything important.

She found herself sketching Klaus again. She had done it so often in the last few days she had most of the details already memorized. _Well, if it is Klaus_ … she thought as her gaze bored to the windows. Katherine could have been lying to her about it being him. Damon could very well be right and this was just all in her imagination. If so, she was seriously considering telling Dr. Ripley.

The last few days they hadn't gained any more knowledge of Klaus. He hadn't shown up, and Isobel had been no help. As they suspected, she had been compelled to forget everything important if she had ever known anything in the first place. Isobel knew nothing important about Klaus other than he existed for sure. She claimed to have never seen him and couldn't offer anything else so Damon had been working to break the compulsion the last few days. John had barely been around, though he would pop in to help Damon every once and a while. Andy hadn't gone to see Isobel but she knew Elena had spoken to her briefly the other morning. Jenna avoided going to the basement in the Salvatore's at all and did her best to split her time between there and home since Jeremy decided to stay home with John than to live with Stefan and Damon for a while. However, from what Andy had heard, Jeremy was often with Bonnie anyway.

Once class was over, Andy quickly cleaned up her sketches so the others didn't catch what she had been drawing. They all knew about her dreams now but she felt as if they didn't want to believe her and Damon’s snide comments didn’t help that. Honestly, she didn't want to believe it either.

“You need a ride?” Elena asked her as they waited for the others to file out of the room. “I figure if you still want to go to the dance we can get ready together tonight. Stefan says he's got some old stuff from the sixties we can wear.”

“Yeah, we should get ready together. I've got my car don't worry. I'll meet you back there in a while,” She replied with a small smile. “I need to talk to Ric for a moment.”

“Don't forget that we’re all meeting at the house first. Klaus’ message remember?” Elena reminded her.

“Right,” Andy sighed. They suspected he was going to reveal himself, and since Bonnie had been juiced up with her witch powers, they planned to take him out tonight. Andy wasn't sure how they thought it was going to go around a bunch of innocent people but she was assured by Stefan they would take precautions to avoid that.

Once the room had cleared out, Andy approached Alaric who had been looking through a textbook, a bored look on his face. He glanced up and smiled at her. “Hello, Andy,” He said.

“Ric, pal, buddy, teacher… mind telling me why you're avoiding Jenna?” Andy asked, folding her arms over her chest and raising an eyebrow.

Alaric hesitated before sighing. He closed the book and looked up at her. “Things are… complicated.”

“Complicated? She knows the truth about everything now and even after your romantic evening together the other night, you still think things are complicated between the two of you?” Andy pressed, drumming her fingers on her arm in annoyance. Alaric once again hesitated, causing her to sigh. “Ric, she's _not_ gonna wait forever. You two genuinely like each other and I like you, but if you screw this up you're going to regret it. After Isobel… listen, I know it's not ideal that she's still around but surely you don't still love her… do you?”

Alaric sat back in his chair and watched her for a moment. “I'll admit… I'm shocked that Isobel is still around.”

“Yeah well, it's not made much of a difference. They haven't found out anything about Klaus or otherwise anything important,” Andy shrugged, glancing at the clock. “But I guess we’ll see tonight, huh?”

“I had heard you knew what Klaus looked like.”

Andy rolled her eyes, though she clenched her jaw. “I bet Damon had a lot to say about that.”

“Elena filled me in actually,” Alaric said, his eyes roaming her face.

“It's not concrete, okay? No one else believes it, I don't want to believe it, but Elijah reacted when I spoke of it.” Andy explained with a frown and shifted uncomfortably. The last thing she needed was for Alaric to be judging her as well.

“Perhaps Elena isn't the only one connected to the curse then.”

“No, Elijah would have told me.”

Alaric raised his eyebrows. “You trust Elijah that much? He’s an Original as well,”

“I _trusted_ Elijah to an extent, but I’m not an idiot. He didn’t tell me he intended Elena to die, but I know he wanted to kill Klaus as much as the rest of us. And yeah, maybe he saved me those few times just because I'm needed for the curse or because of his deal with Elena, but he would have told us if I needed to die as well,” Andy pointed out.

“What makes you so sure of that though?”

Andy shrugged her shoulders, trying to appear indifferent. Elijah wasn’t exactly her favorite subject. Since he was daggered, it didn’t help them at all in trying to kill Klaus. “I don't know, Ric. I really couldn't tell you why I trusted him but I'm sure Elena couldn't either.”

Alaric nodded and glanced at the time. He stood and began gathering his things. “A bit scary, isn't it? That Klaus could be anywhere and we really can't be sure where.”

“Well, considering Elijah beheaded someone the first time we met, Klaus is going to have a lot to live up to,” Andy snorted with a shake of her head.

“We should go meet up with the others. Do you need a ride?” Alaric asked as he held up his car keys.

“No, actually. Thanks though,” Andy started heading toward the door. “Oh, and I forgot…” She turned to look Alaric in the eye seriously. “If you hurt Jenna I’ll make you regret stepping foot in Mystic Falls. She's the best thing in either our lives and deserves to be happy after everything she’s been through. So, watch your step, Ric, but don't shut her out now. Not when Klaus could come kill us all.” With that, Andy turned and left his classroom.

* * *

“Well, look at you nicely dressed,” Damon commented as she walked into the library. He was in there with a glass of bourbon and a pensive expression.

“I hardly think leggings are formal wear,” Andy replied as she dropped her book bag on the ground and sat on the couch. “It’s been a long week, Damon. I don’t really have the will to deal with you. If we could sit in silence while we wait, that would be a wonderful early birthday present.”

“I hope you have the will to deal with me for tonight. If you’ll have me, I would like to be your date to the decade dance,” Damon said as he walked over to her and sat next to her.

Andy watched him for a moment before scrunching her nose after realizing he was being serious. “No, thank you. Sorry. I don’t have a choking kink and I don’t like you.”

“Andy, I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t mean to hurt you,” Damon smartly didn’t try to touch her or move any closer. She watched him with a scowl, not sure how she felt about forgiving him. He sighed and sat his glass down. “I shouldn’t have choked you, Andy. I shouldn’t have laid a hand on you at all. I’m sorry.”

“At least you know the basic concept of an apology,” Andy commented as she looked away from him. “Damon, for Elena’s sake, we need to work together. But if you ever lay one hand on me again, I swear I’ll kick your ass then let Jenna kick your ass. I’m not going to continue to let me treat me the way you do.”

He conceded with a nod, though didn’t speak any more of it. “I can still drive you if you want me to. It might help having a vampire bodyguard if Klaus shows up.”

“As long as you’re ready to forgo me and focus on Elena if need be… though, I don’t think that will be a problem,” Andy replied thickly as she sat back on the couch. “How’s your girlfriend, by the way? You two seem close. What was her name again? Allie? Amanda? Oh, wait, it was Andie, wasn’t it?”

Damon rolled his eyes at her. “Her name happened to be Andie, okay? I didn’t seek out the first woman interested in me with your name.”

“Could’ve fooled me but then again I guess there are many Elena’s hanging around,” She countered.

“For the last time, I’m not—”

“I’m not having this debate with you, Damon,” She interrupted. “Why don’t you instead tell me what you have found out from Isobel today?”

He scoffed and shook his head. “You mean other than the compulsion inflicted by an Original is impossible to break? Well, not much.”

“Maybe… maybe I could go talk to her?” Andy suggested, immediately kicking herself for even considering it. “Elena’s not been to see her either. Maybe some mommy-daughter time will help lighten her up a bit.”

“We’ll see.”

“‘We’ll see’? What are you going to do, stop me from going down there?” She asked him with a scowl.

“I mean that Isobel is suicidal because of Klaus and will find any excuse or manipulative technique she needs to,” He explained as he sipped on his bourbon.

“Do you really think I’m so easily manipulated?”

“I think you can be, especially if someone knows all the right things to say,” Damon replied evenly. She continued scowling but looked away from him with bitterness filling her. Was he implying that he was admitting to manipulating her?

“You’re so fucking charming,” She muttered as she scooted further down the couch away from him.

“Sorry we’re late,” Stefan announced as he walked into the room with Bonnie and Elena trailing behind him. “They wanted milkshakes.”

“Mint chocolate milkshake for the Andrea Gilbert,” Elena said with a smile as she walked over to her sister and offered the Styrofoam cup.

“You’re a goddess, ‘Lena,” Andy said excitedly as she quickly grabbed the straw and pushed it into the lid.

“Where’s mine?” Damon asked as he looked up at them.

“Liquor, blood, and ice cream don't mix well,” Bonnie commented as she happily sipped on her milkshake.

“Neither do vampires and decade dances if our track record says anything,” Stefan cut in. “And we got our first message from Klaus. He wants Elena to save him a dance tonight.”

“So we go to the dance, we find him,” Damon said as if it were common sense as he stood and moved over to pour himself another glass.

“Really? How are we going to do that? We don't even know what he looks like,” Stefan pointed out. He glanced over at Andy almost as if she were a second thought. “Save for the potential drawings we have of him.”

“Something tells me he's not going to be sixteen and pimply,” Damon commented as Andy reached for her book bag to get the drawings out. Damn all of them if they didn’t believe her. If he showed his face tonight, they wouldn’t be laughing then.

“Well, good thing I sketched some more. We can pass them out to everyone so we know who to look for… maybe,” Andy said as she gathered the pieces of paper.

“He could still be anywhere at any time. He compelled somebody at school,” Stefan reminded them as he looked over at Elena and Bonnie. “I guess it's not as safe as you guys thought, huh?”

A knock echoed from the door before Alaric walked into the room looking a bit frazzled. “There you are,” Damon said as he turned to face his friend.

“Sorry I'm late,” Alaric said with a sheepish smile as he moved further into the room.

“Hey, I need you to put me down as a chaperone at the dance tonight. Klaus made his first move. Wants to have the last dance with Elena, probably Andy as well but we all know she doesn’t dance,” Damon said, causing Andy to flip him off as she paused from tearing off sections of the various drawings of Klaus for reference.

“Okay, so we find him and then what, hmm? What's our plan of attack?” Elena asked. “Because there are going to be a lot of innocent people there tonight.”

“Me. I'm the plan,” Bonnie said as Elena sat down next to Andy and took one of the pictures of Klaus. “He has no idea how much power I can channel. If you can find him, I can kill him.”

“That's not going to be that easy. I mean, he is the biggest, baddest vampire around,” Alaric commented.

Andy snorted, causing the history teacher to look at her in curiosity. “So we’ve heard.”

“You underestimate him?”

“Like I said, Elijah made a grand entrance. Still, we—well, all of _you_ —beat him. Twice. Klaus can’t be indestructible, nothing is. I was told nature wouldn’t allow the balance to be tipped. Right, Bonnie?” Andy asked as she looked over at the witch.

Bonnie nodded. “That’s where I come in.”

“Well, I think Alaric has a point,” Damon begun as he turned to face Bonnie. “I mean, what if he...” He rushed at Bonnie but she threw him on the other side of the room with her powers, without even touching him.

“Well, I was impressed,” Stefan said, looking at his brother in amusement as he stood to his feet.

“It doesn't matter if he's an Original. I can take down anyone who comes at me,” Bonnie looked at Elena sternly. “I can kill him, Elena. I _know_ I can.”

“Well, now that we have that covered…” Andy said as she stood up and crossed the room to Alaric. “I believe I will go speak to Isobel and see if I can get anything out of her,” She looked back at Damon. “And no, I don’t need your backup. I’m certain she’s tired of seeing you and John.”

“Let me come with you,” Elena said as she stood to her feet.

Andy shrugged as she handed her half-finished milkshake to Damon. “If you want. Though, I think Ric should go speak to her sometime today as well. Preferably before Jenna gets here,” She looked back at Alaric with a stern expression. “Maybe asking Jenna to be your co-chaperone would be a good thing. She’s not going to leave either Elena or me alone anyway. I’d feel better if you were helping make sure Klaus doesn’t near her. That’s something you can agree on I hope.”

Alaric nodded. “I will call her. As for Isobel… well, you two can handle that. Perhaps I can talk to her in a while.”

Andy exhaled but decided that was the best response she was going to get out of Alaric. She looked back to Damon and Stefan as Elena walked over to her. “Try not to breathe down our necks, alright? I get that Isobel sold her own daughters out to a psychopath who wants to sacrifice at least one of us, but you _do_ have vampire hearing. Besides, she’s tied down and there’s vervain in there. We shouldn’t be in any danger.”

“Aye aye, captain,” Damon said as he went to pour himself and Alaric a drink.

“Just be careful,” Stefan said, grabbing Elena’s hand and squeezing it. She smiled at him before pecking him on the lips.

“Save it for the bedroom, lovebirds,” Andy said as she walked out of the room.

Elena quickly caught up with her at the basement door. “Do you think she’ll tell us anything?” Elena asked as they both hesitated at the door.

“Honestly? No, but it might be good to see the extent of her compulsion. See if there’s any way we can break it…” Andy trailed off and shook her head. “She’s the only one who knows more about Klaus than we do. Well, except for Elijah but… we all know how that turned out.”

“Do you think daggering Elijah was a mistake?” Elena asked gingerly. “I know that you two…”

“What?” Andy asked sharply, turning her head to look at Elena with narrowed eyes.

“I just know you spent some time around him is all. I saw your expression when I daggered him, Andy. He was kind to you, for an Original. Damon told me that he saved you when your wounds reopened. And the dreams…”

Andy shook her head. “Daggering Elijah was right. He was going to let you die, Elena. I also saw him kill a decent amount of people. That’s not something you just forget.”

“I know what you mean…” Elena remained quiet for a moment before she exhaled and looked down at the stairs. “I suppose we should go ahead and get this over with?”

“I guess. Unless you wanted me to pour my little old heart out about how heartbroken I am over Elijah,” Andy said with a half-hearted smirk.

“I wouldn’t want to cause you any stress, little sis,” Elena said, causing Andy to roll her eyes.

“You’re like, two minutes older than me,” Andy said as she began descending the stairs.

“I’m still older and I’m pretty sure _I_ was always the one left in charge, even when Jenna was there,” Elena pointed out as she leaned forward and ruffled her sister’s hair.

Andy threw a feigned look of annoyance over her shoulder. “Yeah well, I’m taller.” Elena laughed but their laughter died down as they walked past the cell that held Elijah’s body in it. Andy inhaled slightly and continued past it, not wanting to see his desiccated body within. He haunted her dreams enough. The last thing she needed was a reminder of how he looked now.

“Andy…” The voice cracked. The doppelgangers came to a stop as they reached the door Isobel was behind. The door was closed but Isobel undoubtedly heard them approach. Andy didn’t even stop to look through the small hatch that was about at her eye level.

“Hi, Isobel,” Andy said as she unlocked the door and swung it open. Elena looked at Andy with an uncertain look before she followed Andy into the small cell.

Isobel was already showing signs of not drinking blood the last few days. Her hair was frizzy and greasy, her forehead covered in a thin line of sweat. She was tied down to the chair with vervain covered ropes and the room had small boutiques of the flower around the room. Her breathing was heavy, her lips chapped, and yet her eyes were wide open. Andy starred back at her mother, remembering how those unsettling green eyes had gazed at them.

“And Elena…” Isobel coughed before holding her head up firmly. “What a surprise. Though you weren’t exactly subtle about your intentions. I can still hear you all upstairs.”

“Yeah, well, better than Damon, right?” Andy asked as she moved closer to Isobel. Elena stayed back but watched them close. Andy looked at Isobel’s wrist, cringing when she saw how red and raw they were. “I’m sorry you’re in pain.”

“This? This is a cake walk.”

Andy glanced back at Elena before focusing solely on Isobel. “Let me guess, Klaus? He must have a lot of years of torture behind him. I can only imagine what he put you through.”

Isobel continued gazing at Andy, refusing to break eye contact. “Andy, I can’t tell you what I don’t know. You would know more than any of us with your dreams.”

“I don’t know if that’s Klaus for sure,” Andy said, though she knew deep down it was. Elijah had told her Klaus was his brother. However, for some reason, she couldn’t bring herself to tell the others that information. It seemed insignificant now that Elijah was daggered, but a part of her felt as if it was almost too personal to divulge.

“I’m sure Elijah had to tell you something, Andy. I saw the two of you together, you know. I saw him carry you into Jonas’ house, the worried look on his face when he thought you might die…” Isobel taunted.

“What are you getting out of trying to provoke me?” Andy demanded, moving toward Isobel until she was standing right over her. “You’re tied up but you should be dead. Why are you fighting this so hard? Is Klaus’ compulsion that strong? I’m not the person to provoke because I wouldn’t be shoving the stake through your heart. As long as Klaus is around, no one will be doing that.”

Isobel remained quiet for a moment before she spoke up. “I want to die, Andy. I don’t have any information about Klaus to help you all. You should just kill me rather than drag this out.”

“Isobel…” Elena stepped closer so she could get a better look at their mother. “This is Klaus’ compulsion. You _don’t_ want to die.”

“I handed my own children over to the devil himself, Elena. The human part of me would be ashamed,” Isobel exhaled as she met Elena’s almond eyes. “And the vampire part of me couldn’t care less. No matter what you do, you can’t reverse this compulsion. Even if you release me one day, I’ll just finish what I started. All of this is pointless…”

“You have a chance to help your children you betrayed,” Andy pointed out. “You have to fight the compulsion. Nothing will change unless you are actively trying to fight against the compulsion, okay? So, you must _fight_ because you and John are the only parents we have left in this fucked up world and as much as I want to hate the both of you, I’m not going to let Klaus win this one, not this time. You are going to fight because otherwise, I will make sure that you remain locked up here for the rest of eternity for what you did to Elena, compulsion or not. You can take that or leave it, Isobel.”

Isobel gazed up at her for a moment before a ghost of a smile pulled at her lips. “I always knew you had some of my temper, Andy. However, I’m afraid the situation remains the same. You can’t break an Original’s compulsion.”

Andy scoffed and shook her head. “This is pointless. Fine. Live your life down here. Be forgotten by everyone who ever knew you. I don’t give a damn,” She turned and headed toward the door, pausing to look at Elena. Her sister paused as if she was considering if she wanted to say something before following her out of the room and closing the door behind them.

“Are you okay?” Elena asked as they reached the bottom of the stairs.

“Yeah, I just… give me a moment, okay? I’ll be upstairs in a second,” Andy said with the best reassuring smile she could muster. Elena nodded and gave her a comforting squeeze on the arm before she headed up the stairs. Andy turned and looked at the door to Elijah’s body and found herself moving toward it.

When it swung open, she inhaled at seeing his grayed body on the floor. It looked just like when Damon had staked him their first meeting, but the dagger in his chest indicated that it would be more permanent. Walking over to him, she knelt by his side and brushed his bangs to the side. She cringed at the dryness of his skin and the veins protruding. He laid there, still with no indication he was still alive.

Andy had to admit as she gazed at him, he was handsome. She had known it the first time she had seen him. She wondered what exactly had occurred between him and Anastasia. All her dreams involving him were happy, with them spending time together or throwing looks at one another. She was sure a part of Elijah saw some of Anastasia in her, why else would he have shown concern for her or tolerated her personal questions? It went past his deal with Elena, Andy just wasn’t sure what exactly it was. Whatever it was, she knew a part of her felt the same. She had wanted to trust him and did, up until it was discovered his intentions to sacrifice Elena. She still wanted to know why he hadn’t told her. Perhaps all their interactions were just a façade. It wasn’t as if they spent a lot of time together after all.

“Everything good in here?” Andy’s hand recoiled from Elijah’s face as she jumped to her feet and turned to see Alaric standing there.

“Uh, yeah. Everything’s A-OK,” Andy folded her arms over her chest and tried to ignore the flush that was taking over her cheeks. “I was just… uh, looking at him. I guess it’s just weird to see him like that.”

Alaric nodded, his eyes dropping to Elijah’s body and staying there for a few moments. Andy watched in his curiosity as something she couldn’t discern played through his eyes. She cleared her throat, bringing his attention back to her. “Were you going to talk to Isobel?”

“Uh, no. I think I might save that for later,” He admitted, looking a little uneasy. “She didn’t tell you guys anything, did she?”

“Other than the fact she still wants to die? No, nothing new,” Andy said with a sigh. “I say give it a few days and maybe the vervain will work some magic.”

“Possibly,” He nodded slowly. “I called Jenna. She agreed to be my co-chaperone for the night.”

“Good. You two need to work through this stuff. You both clearly care for one another,” Andy said with a small smile. “And you’re perhaps one of the only human couples left. I don’t know what Caroline or Elena expect their relationships to end up like, but I’ve read enough Young Adult fiction to know it’s not going anywhere pretty.”

“Have you ever thought about it? Becoming a vampire, that is.”

Andy shrugged. “Not really, no. I guess it’s something I’m not interested in. Not when they all turn out to be bloodthirsty psychos.”

“Stefan isn’t though. Or Caroline for that matter.”

“But they have killed before. I’d rather keep my hands clean, wouldn’t you? I mean you are a vampire hunter,” She pointed out. “You wouldn’t, would you?”

“Of course not,” Alaric answered, a little too quickly. Andy looked at him, wondering what she was feeling right now. He had seemed off all day but now he looked almost uncomfortable standing in the room with Elijah. “Is everything okay, Andy?”

She shook her head, trying to forget the feeling. He was probably uncomfortable because of his ex-wife was in the other room. “Yeah, sorry. I just am a little out of it,” She looked at the time on her phone. “I better go upstairs and find a costume for tonight.”

“Ah, right,” Alaric said as he trailed behind her out of the room. She stopped outside of the doorway and let him close the door behind them, not missing the lingering look on his face as he stared at Elijah’s body.

“So where have you been the last few days?” Andy asked before she could stop herself.

“Oh. I just… needed some space. With Jenna finding out and Isobel around… it was a bit hard to take it all in at once,” Alaric said as he turned to face her. She nodded and gestured for him to walk ahead of her. He began walking as she continued her questions.

“Well, next time try not to ghost, okay? Klaus compelled Isobel and I’m sure he has no qualms about compelling anyone else to do his dirty work. For all we know, one of us could have been compelled without realizing it,” Andy pointed out, watching him closely as they walked up the stairs. He didn’t outwardly react and instead continued walking. “Do you think Bonnie will be able to kill him?”

“Possibly,” He answered, glancing over his shoulder. “But he’s old. A witch might not be enough.”

“True,” Andy conceded as they reached the top of the stairs. “I’m just worried that there will be causalities tonight. It seems like no one has any regard for human life. Everyone else at that dance won’t have a warning for how bad things could go.”

“I need to head back to my apartment to get ready. Tell Jenna I’ll pick her up at six,” Alaric said before he paused and looked back at Andy. “Everything will be fine, Andy. Don’t worry. I won’t let any human causalities happen tonight.” With that, Alaric turned and walked away from her. She watched him leave with a mixed expression, wondering what it really was that had gotten into him lately.

“Well, you just going to stand there gawking?” Andy looked over to see Damon was watching her from the end of the hall.

“Did you hear all of that?” Andy asked as she approached him.

“I did.”

“And?”

“And…?”

“Do you think Klaus could have compelled one of us without us realizing?” Andy pushed.

“By ‘one of us’ you mean Ric,” Damon stated.

She sighed and shrugged. “I mean, he barely checked in over the last few days. That’s enough time for Klaus to do some serious psychological damage. I mean just look at Isobel.”

“You’re worrying over nothing, Andy.” She scowled at him for a moment. “Andy, it’s _Ric_. The guy guzzles vervain like water. Klaus couldn’t have compelled him.”

“You don’t think he could have drained it out of his system?”

“You’re not going to let this go, are you?” He questioned. She stood her ground and folded her arms across her chest. He sighed and shook his head. “Fine, I’ll keep an eye on him tonight. But you were the one who suggested he take Jenna as his date.”

Andy’s face paled at the thought. “Damon, did I fuck up? You would know as the King of Fuck Ups.”

“No, Andy, you didn’t because we don’t know whether or not he is compelled, Andy. Calm down, okay?” He started to reach out to put a hand on her shoulder then thought better of it. “We’ll all be there tonight. You don’t even have to leave Jenna’s side if it makes you that uncomfortable.”

“Okay,” Andy exhaled and nodded. “Thanks, Damon.”

“I never thought I’d hear that from you,” He commented.

She rolled her eyes as she let out a scoff. “Yeah, well, I also thought I would never be fighting to save my sister from having her blood spilled over a tiny rock.”

“Andy?” Jenna’s voice echoed from the foyer, interrupting their moment.

Andy looked up at Damon. “Excuse me,” She said as she walked around him and headed toward Jenna’s voice. The two met in the living room.

“Any particular reason why Ric finally spoke to me?” Jenna asked her as she sat her bag down on the coffee table.

“Because he’s madly in love with you?” Andy suggested.

“Or perhaps someone gave him a much-needed push,” Jenna replied, folding her arms over her chest. “What _is_ going on with him, Andy? He acted as if he hasn’t totally blown me off the last few days.”

“I have no clue, Jen. But… I’m scared Klaus might have compelled him. He’s been acting… weird today. I didn’t know before I suggested he took you to the dance, I swear,” She explained, looking at her aunt in worry. “But Damon already agreed to keep an eye on him, though I don’t think he believes me. It’s probably just all in my head. I just feel like something is going to happen tonight and I hate it had to happen when there’s going to be so many people around.”

“We just have to trust that Bonnie has enough power,” Jenna said with a sigh.

Andy reached over and grabbing her aunt’s hand. “I don’t think I could’ve handled you not knowing. It’s nice to have someone that is as clueless as I am, you know? Jeremy and Elena are both so deep into the whole supernatural thing already.”

“Well, you’re a doppelganger so unfortunately, you’re a part of it now as well,” Jenna reminded her with a squeeze of her hand. “But I won’t let Klaus hurt you, Jeremy, or Elena. I made a promise to myself, to your parents, that I would take care of all three of you. Original vampire or no, he hasn’t met this crazy aunt.”

Andy laughed. “I believe he would shake in his boots if he ever met you.”

“Damn straight he would.”

“Hey, I found some dresses,” Elena announced as she entered the room. “We have a few choices. Okay, more than a few. The Salvatores are hoarders, evidently. I think I found one that would look perfect on you, Andy.”

The three moved upstairs to check out the dresses Elena had laid out on the bed. Elena walked over and held up a baby blue bell sleeve dress. The dress was shorter and would probably come up to Andy’s mid-thigh, and as much as she didn’t want to, she couldn’t say she didn’t think it was a beautiful dress.

“That will beautiful on you,” Andy said to Elena with an encouraging smile.

“No, this is for _you_ , if you want it,” Elena said, walking over to Andy.

“Me? Why? I can wear one of the others, really,” She insisted as Elena handed the dress to her.

“No, that will look beautiful on you, Andy,” Jenna assured. “I know just the hairstyle that would look beautiful with that.”

Elena held up a pair of sandals that had a small heel to them. They were silver and were encrusted with gems. “These will go nicely with them.”

“What is this, Barbie dress up?” Andy huffed, though she had to admit the dress was cute.

“Don’t act as if you didn’t like Barbie growing up,” Elena teased with a playful smile. “Change into it, Andy. The worst thing that could happen is that you don’t like it, right? Then all you have to do is choose another dress.”

Andy caved with a sigh. “Fine, but if it’s too short for dress code and I like it, I’m making Damon compel the chaperones,” She pointed to Jenna as she went toward the bathroom. “Even you, missy.”

“I’m thirteen years older than _you_ , missy!” Andy smiled to herself as she heard Jenna and Elena giggling to themselves. She was glad that they were still could have these moments even while dealing with Klaus. She wondered if everything would be the same after they dealt with Klaus.

* * *

Staring in the mirror, Andy once again was unable to say she didn’t love the dress. The baby blue fabric went to her mid-thigh but was flowy at the bottom. The long sleeves were sheer and gathered at her wrist with ruffles, though it didn’t restrict her movement. The dress was plain except for the bow at her chest, which came down to the v-collar of the dress that stopped just before her breasts. She wore her hair in a half-up bouffant style, with the ends hanging down curled. She wore dark eye makeup that made her almond eyes pop. Her lips were a glossy pink from the lipstick. She wore no jewelry, and her shoes gave her a slight boost in her height.

“You clean up nice,” She looked up and saw Damon standing in the doorway.

“Not too bad yourself,” Andy said as she turned to look at him. He wore a black shirt and pants. His shirt was unbuttoned slightly and his hair in its usual disheveled style. Meeting his gaze, she became achingly aware of the fact her dress matched his eye color. She was certain Elena didn’t do it on purpose, but with the dance drawing so close she didn’t have time to choose another outfit.

“Nice dress,” Damon said as he walked over to her. Andy let out a small sigh, certain he had realized it as well. “Need a ride?”

“Damon, I’m not going to be your date,” Andy told him firmly.

“Hey, I’m going stag, you’re going stag. The least we can do is go stag together, right? And a ride is just a ride, nothing more.”

“You didn’t want to bring Andie?”

“She was working late,” He stated with a shrug.

Andy sighed again and looked away for a moment. Jenna had gone to grab food with Alaric before the dance—fortunately where they could be monitored in a public place by John, who Andy had also informed of her suspicions—while Elena and Stefan were off somewhere. After they had finished getting ready, Elena had excused herself to go see if Stefan was ready and that was over twenty minutes ago. Andy concluded the two had gotten distracted and was too fearful of seeing something to investigate.

“Fine, you can give me a ride,” Andy relented. “But if you try anything—”

“I’m a taken man, Andy. How scandalous of you to suggest I would even think about hurting Andie,” Damon said, putting a hand over his chest.

She rolled her eyes. “You’re not as endearing as you think you are.”

“Tough crowd,” He commented as she walked past him. As they headed downstairs, the two ran into Stefan and Elena who were talking by the door.

“Hey, I was just about to tell you we were leaving,” Elena said as she turned toward her sister. Elena was dressed in a flowery dress that was about as short as Andy’s. She wore a white belt around her waist and white boots that went up to her knees. Her hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail and she wore heart earrings that had a peace sign within them.

“Dear old Damon offered to give me a ride,” Andy said, folding her arms over her chest. Elena raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Don’t worry, I’ll try not to kill him. I make no promises though.”

“She’s in safe hands, Elena. I’ve been driving for a while,” Damon commented as he came to stand next to Andy. She rolled her eyes again and looked over at him.

“Can we get this show on the road already? Something tells me Klaus isn’t going to wait all night.”

* * *

“I suppose it’s too much to ask for you to save me a dance,” Damon said as they climbed out from his car. The ride had mostly been silence other than a short conversation about Isobel. Andy had also been aware of her dress looking awfully similar to the color of Damon’s Camaro. It was the last time she _ever_ let Elena choose her outfit.

“Probably,” Andy said with a shrug as she closed the door behind her. He walked around his car and raised an eyebrow at her. “Besides, ‘Andy doesn’t dance,’ remember?”

“Maybe Klaus will want to dance. You will have to think of a clever way to reject him,” Damon suggested. She scoffed and smacked him on the arm.

“I’ll dance with him when hell freezes over and when you’re _not_ an asshole, so basically… never,” Andy said as they began walking toward the school. She noticed Bonnie and Jeremy standing in the parking lot facing one another. Jeremy was holding out his ring and the two looked as if they were having an intimate moment. For a moment Andy forgot that they were together now. Elena seemed cool with it and honestly, Andy just wanted Jeremy and Bonnie to be happy. If that was with one another, so be it.

“Never is such a loaded word,” Damon said, his gaze fixed on Bonnie and Jeremy as well. Andy glanced over at him to make a smart comment but noticed he had a look of worry on his face for a split second. When he noticed her watching, his face smoothed out in a neutral expression. She almost asked him what was wrong as they approached but stayed silent as she tried to hear what Bonnie and Jeremy were saying.

“…but I can feel them. I'm empowered, Jeremy, I can do this. I know I can. I'm strong enough,” Bonnie said before she pulled Jeremy into a hug. As she did, she noticed that they had an audience. “Andy. Damon.” She pulled away from the hug, and Jeremy turned to face them.

“Evening,” Damon said before he hooked his arm through Andy’s. “Let’s allow the lovebirds their moment, hm?”

Andy went to protest but he had pulled her away before she could even speak. She glanced back at them with a worried expression before looking back at Damon. “What was that about?” She demanded as he pulled her toward the entrance.

“Jeremy’s just worried that she’s not strong enough. You saw her earlier. You know that she is,” Damon said, keeping his gaze ahead.

“Damon—”

“Andy, everything’s going to be fine, okay? No need to worry,” He said, throwing her a warning look.

She yanked her arm away from him as they reached the entrance. “Andy, I almost didn’t recognize you,” Mrs. Poorman, Andy’s English teacher, said as the doppelganger approached with Damon.

“Thanks, Poorman,” Andy said as she tossed her ticket on the table. The old woman smiled before looking up at Damon.

“Did you get a guest clearance?”

“I have an all-access pass actually. I’m a chaperone,” Damon said as he compelled her.

“Well, you two have fun tonight!”

As they walked away, Andy sighed. “You should have compelled her to move our test on _Hamlet_ back to next Friday.”

“Let’s deal with Klaus and then I can compel whoever you want me to,” Damon replied as they stopped at the edge of the crowd. There was a live band playing, and the crowd of people were mostly dancing. Andy found herself looking over the crowd for the familiar cerulean gaze but wasn’t seeing anyone who looked remotely familiar.

“Do you see Klaus?” Damon asked her, leaning in closer so she could hear him over all the noise.

“I don’t,” She admitted with a frown as she spotted Jenna and Alaric dancing. He was saying something to her that made her laugh. At least _someone_ was having fun.

“You guys ready?” Andy turned to see Stefan, Elena, Bonnie, and Jeremy had filed in behind them.

“As I’ll ever be,” She answered Stefan. Damon began leading them around the crowd as they tried to get a better look at everyone. Each one of them were analyzing every face in the crowd but to no avail.

“Thanks for being here, everybody,” Andy glanced to see Dana, the one who Klaus had compelled earlier to give Elena the message, had gone on stage. “We have a special shout-out tonight.”

Damon stopped in front of the stage and looked up as well, causing the others to halt behind him as Dana continued speaking. “This is for Elena and Andy. From Klaus.” The band began playing again, a song that Andy didn’t recognize. She turned and looked at Elena in worry to see her sister was standing there just as stunned.

“That was a lame, cheap shot. He's just trying to bait us,” Damon explained as he turned to face the others.

“I know everyone here,” Elena said before they all looked at Andy expectantly.

“I haven’t seen him,” She answered softly, turning her gaze back out to the crowd of people.

“Maybe he's not here. Just wants us to believe that he is,” Stefan suggested.

“Or maybe he has someone here for him,” Andy countered, her brows furrowing in worry as she looked around for Jenna and Alaric.

“It's a party, people. Blend. Let him come to us,” Damon said.

“Good idea,” Bonnie replied as she took Jeremy's arm.

Jeremy shook his head. “No, no, I really don't feel like dancing.”

“Too bad.” She said with a smile as she pulled him onto the dance floor.

“There's Ric. I'll be back,” Damon said, glancing at Andy before he started making his way to Alaric. Andy excused herself as well before following Damon through the crowd to Alaric and Jenna, who had abandoned the dance floor.

“Are you guys okay?” Jenna asked in worry as Andy and Damon approached. “You haven’t seen him, have you?”

“We’re fine, Jen. And no, not yet,” Andy said with a sigh.

“Special dedication, huh? This guy's a little twisted,” Alaric commented.

Damon scoffed. “I'm not impressed.”

Alaric raised an eyebrow at Damon. “No?”

“Let me know if you see anything out of whack,” Damon said before turning to Andy. “Would you like to dance, Andy? I promise my hands won’t go anywhere near your neck.”

“I’m going to take a raincheck. I can’t exactly look for Klaus if I’m busy making sure you don’t cop a feel,” Andy replied dryly. Damon rolled his eyes and suddenly his attention was pulled away. Andy glanced over to see what he was looking at and saw that Stefan had gestured him over from the dance floor.

“It seems I might have my dance card full at the moment anyway,” Damon commented as he walked away. Andy watched as Damon crossed the room and began dancing with Elena as Stefan walked away. Andy pursed her lips, unable to deny that she didn’t like seeing them dance together. As much as she didn’t like Damon at the moment, she felt a bit burned at the sight. Elena laughed as she danced with Damon when he made funny expressions and gestures at her. Andy remembered a time when she could be that relaxed with Damon.

“Hey, you okay?” Jenna asked, putting a hand on Andy’s arm.

Andy swallowed as she tore her gaze away from the two. She didn’t meet Jenna’s or Alaric’s gaze as she began to back away. “I’m gonna go grab some punch. You guys continue policing teenagers and reminiscing about your days in the sun.”

After waiting in a line for a refreshment, Andy finally made it to the front. The attendant began pouring her a glass, doing their best to make small talk. However, Andy felt the same anxious feeling in her dreams come to her. Taking the cup in silence, she walked out of the line and began looking around the room again. It was the same feeling she had in the Salvatores the other night, she realized. He _had_ to be here. She didn’t know how she knew it, but he was

As she scanned the room she noticed that Stefan was walking away from Caroline, who had been joined by Matt. The two began dancing, but Andy didn’t see anyone around them. Her gaze slipped over Bonnie and Jeremy dancing. Bonnie looked happy, but Jeremy looked detached from it all. Stefan ended up joining Elena and Damon as a new song started. The couple started to dance while Damon walked away from them. Andy continued looking but saw no one that looked like Klaus, not even in the band.

Finally, her gaze landed on Jenna and Alaric who were standing off to the side, surveying the room. Jenna was looking in the other direction, but Alaric was looking at her. Their gazes met and Andy felt her stomach sink. Something _was_ wrong with him. She wasn’t sure what but there was something in his eyes that she didn’t like. However, before she could even move toward him, he turned and said something to Jenna before he walked out of the doors into the hallways. Andy looked to see that Damon was now dancing with Bonnie, while Jeremy was heading her way. She wanted to tell Damon but he had been skeptical of her before. Why would he believe her when all she had as proof was a bad feeling in her gut?

“Hey,” Jeremy greeted as he drew closer.

Andy felt her heart pounding in her chest as her gaze slipped back to where Alaric disappeared. She knew she should tell them of the bad feeling in her gut but she didn’t know how. “Hey,” She tried to answer as neutral as possible.

“Is everything okay?” He asked, noticing her hands were shaking.

“I-I need to go to the restroom,” Andy said, handing her drink over to him. She walked away from him and made a beeline for Jenna. “Hey, where did Ric go?” She asked her as she approached.

“To grab a couple… _pencils_ from his classroom,” Jenna said. By the way Jenna had emphasized pencils, Andy assumed she meant stakes. “Just for some backup.”

“I’m going to go help him,” Andy decided, her gaze slipping from Jenna’s to survey the room once more. The bad feeling in her gut was still there, but it wasn’t as deafening to her without Alaric nearby. “Has he been acting weird tonight?”

“Not really. He’s been a lot smoother with his flirts, but otherwise he seems fine,” Jenna answered.

Andy nodded. “Just… tell Damon when you get the chance, will you? Preferably soon, in case we run into some trouble and don’t return within the next five minutes.”

“Andy, let me come with you,” Jenna said, grabbing Andy’s wrist as she began to leave.

“No, stay here and make sure Elena stays safe, okay? She’s the one Klaus really needs,” She pointed out before giving Jenna a reassuring smile. “We’ll be fine, Jen. If we’re not back in five just send Damon to come get us, okay?” Jenna nodded but still reluctantly released her wrist.

Andy turned and found herself pushing her way through the crowd as quickly as she could. She had already lost enough time with stopping in the first place. Bursting into the hallways, she became aware of how eerie it was as she began walking toward Alaric’s classroom. The hallways were barely lit, making it look as if she were in a _Silent Hill_ game. She clenched her fists, trying to stop them from shaking as she got closer to the classroom.

She paused as she saw the door was open and the light on. This was incredibly stupid of her, but she wasn’t sure if this was all in her mind or not. For all she knew Alaric was completely okay and she was just overreacting from stress. Still, she needed to be certain no matter what. Steeling herself, she turned the corner and stopped in the doorway of the classroom. Alaric was at his desk, pulling a couple stakes from his desk. He looked up at her in surprise.

“Andy, hey,” He greeted as he turned his attention back to the desk. “I was just grabbing some stakes in case we needed to help Bonnie against Klaus. If he ever shows his face.”

“Stakes don’t work against Originals.”

“Well, they can be hurt at least,” He replied before looking up at her. He straightened up and tilted his head to the side. “Is everything okay? I saw the way you reacted when you saw Damon go dance with Elena.”

“I think I have heard that question a million times today,” Andy said putting her hand on the door handle and trying to make it look like she was casually leaning against it. “Do you remember when we first met, Ric?”

Alaric’s brows furrowed. “Andy, are you sure you’re okay? You’ve been acting weird—” He began to move toward her but she took a step back, her hand locked around the door handle.

“ _Where_ were we when we first met, Ric?” Andy demanded.

“Well, here,” He answered after a moment, gesturing to the room.

Andy swallowed and glanced over the classroom before she met his gaze again. His eyes weren’t like Isobel’s when she tried to speak about the compulsion. Moreover, Alaric had never forgotten what lesson they were on, even if he had a hangover. Alaric knew the first time they met was at the Grill when she had been serving him and he had questioned her about Damon, who had been at the bar having a drink at the time.

“Who are you?” Andy asked after a moment, her knuckles turning white as she clutched the door handle. Alaric continued looking at her confused for a moment before he sighed.

“Andy, I don’t know what you’re talking about. If you could just—” The moment he took a step toward her she slammed the door and began booking it down the hall to the others. Screw what Damon thought, she was going to tell everyone that Alaric was definitely not in his right mind.

“Andy, wait!” She heard Alaric call her name out as she rushed down the hall. She slowed and turned to see if he was approaching, only to see the hallway was completely empty behind her. She wasted no time in continuing her way back to the dance, bursting through the doors and looking around for a familiar face.

“Andy, you okay?” She looked to see Matt and Caroline were standing nearby, looking at her in worry.

“Have you guys seen Elena?” She asked them.

“Uh, I think she went outside with Bonnie a few minutes ago.”

Andy felt her fear building as she glanced around the dance and saw Jenna and Damon speaking. Jenna had a worried expression on her face while Damon listened intently. “Thanks,” She said quickly before she rushed over to Damon and Jenna.

“You’re back,” Jenna said in relief.

“That is _not_ Alaric, Damon. Fuck whatever you think, there _is_ something wrong with him. I don’t know if he’s been compelled or something, but do _not_ trust him,” Andy said, looking up at Damon in worry and hoping he took her seriously. She glanced around the crowd. “We need to find Elena. _Now_.”

They both saw that Stefan was surveying the room, no Elena, Bonnie, Jeremy, or Alaric in sight. Damon looked back at Andy. “Stay here with Stefan and tell him,” He ordered them before he walked away from them.

“I need to find Elena,” Andy said, turning to Jenna.

“Andy—”

“Jenna, _please_ ,” She begged. “Klaus has no reason to hurt me. If Alaric has been compelled then he knows about Bonnie’s powers. He’ll kill her and then take Elena. Tell Stefan where we went.”

Before Jenna could protest further, Andy ran after Damon. When she made it back into the hallway, she heard the sounds of struggle and quickly followed after it. Turning the corner, she saw Chad was standing there with two of his friends while Jeremy laid on the ground.

“Let me guess... Klaus says hi?” Damon said, an arrow sticking out of his shoulder. He grabbed one of the boys and went to stake him but Andy shouted to stop him.

“He’s compelled, Damon! Don’t kill him,” She exclaimed. He threw the guy against the locker to knock him out before he focused on the other two. However, Stefan beat him to it and hit both Chad and the other guy to the side, incapacitating them for the moment.

“This whole thing's a distraction,” Stefan said, looking at Chad as Damon yanked the arrow from his shoulder. “Go find Bonnie and Elena. I got this. Go.”

Damon rushed away and Andy was quick to follow, somewhat glad he didn’t tell her to wait with Stefan again. He continued running and she followed him, his silence making her think he was listening out for them. Eventually, they burst into another hallway where Bonnie and Elena were running toward them, relief washing over all of them as they were reunited.

“What happened?” Damon demanded.

“Klaus is in Alaric's body,” Elena said, breathless.

“What?” Damon’s head snapped to Andy but she simply felt as if she was going to vomit. They had been around Klaus this entire time without realizing it. He knew everything they had spoken about, including Isobel’s survival and Bonnie’s powers. That explained why he had no memory of stuff Alaric should have known.

“He's possessing it or something.” Bonnie said, her breathing heavy as well.

Damon looked over at Elena. “Go find Stefan. Now.”

“Okay,” Elena said, hesitating as she realized Bonnie wasn’t going to follow her.

“ _Now_ ,” Damon said before looking over at Andy expectantly. “I’m going to make sure Bonnie stays safe, Andy. Go make sure your sister stays that way as well.”

Andy nodded before she started running down the hall with Elena by her side. Fortunately, they made it back to the dance without any run-ins with Alaric— _Klaus_ , Andy reminded herself. They began moving through the dance floor, looking all around them for Stefan or Jenna. “Hey! Are you okay?” Caroline asked as she stopped in front of them, still holding onto Matt.

“Um...Yeah. I'm just... I'm looking for Stefan,” Elena explained as Andy kept looking around. She spotted both Stefan and Jenna looking worriedly around the dance and grabbed Elena’s hand.

“Seriously, what's wrong?” Caroline looked in-between them with concern. Andy gestured to Elena with her head as she began pulling her sister away from the blonde.

“Uh, just, um, just stay with Matt, okay?” Elena called over her shoulder as Andy dragged her over to Stefan and Jenna. Their aunt immediately pulled them into a hug upon seeing them.

“Okay, this time I’m seriously not letting either of you leave my sight the rest of this century,” Jenna muttered. “Next time I am the one running off to save someone, _not_ you two!”

“Where’s Jeremy?” Andy asked, looking around the dance.

“He’s over there,” Jenna said, gesturing to the drink table. Jeremy was sipping on a drink, a sad look on his face.

“What happened?” Stefan asked as he and Elena embraced.

“Klaus is possessing Alaric’s body,” Elena explained as she pulled back from the hug. “I-I don’t know how.”

Stefan looked at Andy. “Where is Damon?”

“He stayed behind with Bonnie,” She answered. “Klaus is trying to kill her tonight, not me. He knows about her powers.”

“I need to find them,” Stefan said as he began to walk away.

“Whoa, you think we’re just going to let you leave by yourself? Let alone, us by ourselves?” Andy asked as she moved to follow him.

“Andy’s right. I’m not letting Klaus kill Bonnie,” Elena said as she stepped further.

“And I’m not either,” Jenna said. Stefan sighed but nodded.

“Whatever the plan, we need to go _now_.” They all exited the auditorium and began running in the direction they had left Damon and Bonnie. After a few minutes, their path was cut off by Damon, who strode in casually.

“There you are,” He said as he stopped in front of them. They all slowed and looked at him in confusion.

“What are you doing? Where's Bonnie?” Elena asked breathlessly.

Damon hesitated a moment. “She's doing what she has to do.”

“ _What_?” Elena demanded.

Stefan walked over to Damon. “Where is she?”

“Stefan, let her do this,” Damon said sternly.

“ _Damn_ it, Damon, where _is_ she?!” Stefan exclaimed, grabbing Damon by the shirt. Damon still didn’t budge and Stefan shoved him to the side before rushing forward. Elena was quick to follow. Jenna and Andy both glared at Damon before they rushed after the others. Stefan used his hearing to locate Bonnie, the trail leading them straight to the cafeteria. However, just as they arrived, Bonnie turned and slammed the doors with her powers.

“Bonnie, no!” Elena cried out as she banged on the door. Andy struggled to see into the room past Elena and Stefan who were at the windows, but she saw the lights were flickering and papers were flying everywhere from the wind. Alaric was on the ground, his leg twisted in an unnatural position.

He crawled on the floor toward Bonnie as she continued holding her hand up. The lights within started bursting, sending a shower of sparks raining down. Elena screamed as Stefan tried to open the doors but he couldn’t. Jenna and Andy both stood helplessly to the side with misty eyes. Bonnie turned to at Elena with a smile, blood running from her nose. Alaric got up and Bonnie faced him again. Suddenly with a jerk of her body, she bent back and fell on the floor. As soon as her body made contact with the floor, Stefan was able to open the doors. They all rushed in and immediately went to Bonnie in the now dark room.

“No! Oh! Bonnie! Bonnie, Bonnie! Bonnie! Hey, hey,” Elena said as she took Bonnie in her arms, the tears welling in her eyes. Andy glanced around for any sign of Alaric—Klaus—but he was nowhere to be seen. Jenna knelt next to Elena and rubbed a hand on her back. “Stefan, she's not breathing!” She began sobbing as Stefan knelt next to them. “Stefan! Stefan, I can't find her pulse! Stefan! Do something, please! Stefan, please! Just give her blood, do something, please!”

Stefan slowly looked up at Elena with a somber expression. “It's too late. I'm sorry.”

Andy felt her mouth go dry as she watched Bonnie’s stilled body. Her eyes were wide open as she stared at nothing. She had known Bonnie since elementary school. She had grown up with Bonnie, and even if they weren’t as close as she was with Elena, Andy still liked Bonnie. But Klaus had killed her.

Elena continued crying as she shook her head in disbelief. “No! No. No, no, no, no, no! Bonnie! Bonnie, please, no! No, no, no!”

“Elena…” Jenna murmured, causing Elena to cry harder and lean on her aunt for support as she held the body of her best friend.

“Stefan, get them out of here. I'll deal with the body,” Damon said as he entered the cafeteria.

“What do you mean, deal with it?” Elena demanded, turning to look at him with tears in her eyes.

“The sheriff can't know about this. Last thing we need's another mysterious death,” Damon explained, his expression hard and cold. How could he let Bonnie do this? He knew that this would kill her, didn’t he? That was what he had overheard Jeremy and Bonnie speak about outside before the dance and why Jeremy had been in a sour mood all night.

“ _This is Bonnie_!” Elena shouted in agony at him.

Damon looked at Stefan. “Get her home. Now. So I can clean this up.”

Stefan grabbed Elena and helped her to get up. “Hey, hey, hey.”

“No. Jeremy. Oh, my God, Jeremy. What about Jeremy?” Elena said as she looked around in shock.

“I'll find him,” Jenna said softly as Elena got up, leaving Bonnie’s body on the ground. Stefan wrapped his arms around her as she continued sobbing. They moved toward the door with Jenna following. Andy hesitated behind them before she looked over at Damon.

“Was it worth it?” Andy asked him, feeling her anger overcome her sorrow. “Maybe you never really did love her at all. You wouldn’t have done this if you did.” She turned and walked out the room, her heart heavy as she thought of Bonnie Bennett’s corpse becoming cold and lifeless back there.

* * *

After she changed into her pajamas, Andy found herself on the back porch with Jenna, the two of them drinking tea. They had comforted Elena for a while until she asked to be left alone. They had silently made their way outside with their drinks and sat in the same somber mood since.

“I can’t… I can’t even believe this,” Jenna whispered, wiping the tears that escaped her eyes. “How could Damon allow her to do that?”

“Because he’s Damon,” Andy answered, drawing circles with her index finger on the chair she sat in.

“I should make Elena her favorite cookies,” Jenna decided after another moment of silence. “Do you want to help?”

“I think I’m just going to stay out here for now,” Andy said. “But you go on. I’ll be back in a little while.”

Jenna stood and kissed Andy on the head. “If it had been one of you… I don’t even know what I’d do. I love you, Andy. I’m here if you need to talk.”

“Thanks, Jen. I love you too,” Andy squeezed her aunt’s hand before letting her retreat into the warmth inside. Andy stood and walked over to the edge of the porch, looking up at the stars. She wondered if heaven were real and if Bonnie was there now. She had been good, she deserved to go more than any single one of them. Klaus had killed her all because of this stupid prophecy.

At the edge of the backyard, a flickering caught Andy’s eyes. She glanced back at the house nervously before she took a step closer and strained her eyes to see what was out there. With Klaus in Mystic Falls, she didn’t dare go any closer.

However, when the figure stepped out, Andy felt her breath catch in her throat. There stood Bonnie, though she wasn’t in her costume from earlier. Without even thinking Andy rushed off the porch and began to head toward her.

“Bonnie?” She called out, stopping a few feet from the porch. The moonlight was enough where she couldn’t see her face, but she didn’t remember Bonnie being so tall. The figure suddenly raised their hand and Andy felt a rippling pain cut through her brain before she felt the edges of her vision blur. Collapsing on the ground, the last thing she saw was the woman approaching.

**_~ * • ° • ° • * ~_ **


	15. The Devil's Gone to Dinner

**_Poison & Wine ~ Chapter XV_ **

**_~ * • ° • ° • * ~_ **

_The glass_ _shattered as Andy flung the bottles against the wall where a stack of old books laid. The stack of books her mom had suggested to her. The ones they hadn’t gotten a chance to speak about yet. All because Elena had to go to a party instead of staying home for once._ Being popular must excite my dear older sister _, Andy thought bitterly as she threw paint over the books next. Screw her art, it meant nothing now. Her dad wasn’t here to help pick out new colors to experiment with. None of this mattered now._

_“Andy!” She ignored as her aunt continued banging on the door and calling out her name. She kept throwing things around her room, only stopping to drink more whiskey._

_“Andy, please open the door,” Elena pleaded. Andy could hear the sorrow in her voice but she didn’t care. Elena had been there when they died. Elena had been the reason they died. Why couldn’t she have just gotten Matt to drive her home? Why did it have to be their parents?_

_Andy chucked the empty bottle at the door, hearing Jenna gasp in surprise as it connected with the wood and broke apart. “Fuck off!” She yelled at her last remaining family before she turned her attention to locating another bottle. However, there weren’t any laying around anymore. She grunted in frustration as she pulled her phone out and dialed a number._

_“Andy,” Tyler said as he answered the phone. “How… how are you doing?”_

_“I need you to bring me some more alcohol. I don’t even care if it’s beer, just bring me some right now,” Andy demanded as she paced around her room, feeling her anxiety build up at not having anything with her. Nothing to stop her thoughts or to stop the hand tremors._

_“A, I don’t think that’s a good idea. You sound like you’ve had enough. How about I come over with a movie? We can chill—”_

_“You fuck Vicki Donovan at least once a week, Tyler. You_ owe _me. I put up with your shit the past year for no damn reason if you can’t do me one stupid favor,” Andy’s tone grew angrier and louder. “Don’t even fucking bother to come over. I don’t want to see you anymore, you prick.” She hung up before she threw her cell phone against the wall, screaming in frustration. It wasn’t as if she had many friends after all. She knew of people but the only friends she had were Elena’s and she didn’t want to see any of their faces._

_Her head was spinning and she felt like she was about to puke. She needed something to dull her thoughts. She didn’t want to think about any of this._

_Suddenly the door burst open after John managed to kick it off the hinges. She backed away from him as he continued into the room, but Jenna rushed around him to get to Andy. She grabbed Andy’s shoulders but she did her best to get away from them._

_“No, leave me alone! Don’t touch me! Don’t touch me!” Andy screamed as John grabbed her from behind and wrapped his arms around her. Andy began crying as she sunk back into his arms, realizing he wasn’t going to let her go. She looked up and saw Elena and Jeremy crying outside of the door. “I want my parents…” She whimpered as she leaned her head on John. He held her tight as Jenna knelt beside them, stroking the top of Andy’s head._

Andy was aware of the wetness upon her cheeks as she reentered consciousness. She squeezed her eyes tighter, the memory of those days burning as if they were still fresh. After that incident, John and Jenna had checked her into a rehabilitation program near Whitmore College. She had barely been an hour away from Mystic Falls, but she had been there the entire summer up until junior year began. Thinking back to all those months ago made her head hurt and her body ache for alcohol. She hadn’t had a drink in so long and the headache she had now made her wish for just a few sips.

Opening her eyes, Andy looked up to see she was in an unfamiliar room. She was certainly not at home or the Salvatore’s. She thought about what happened last night and felt panic rise in her.

_The sixties decade dance. Klaus. In Alaric’s body. Bonnie, oh god…_

Andy remembered sitting on the back porch with Jenna before her aunt had gone inside. Andy had stayed outside for a moment longer and she had thought she had seen Bonnie… Instead, she had been knocked unconscious but whoever it was and was taken somewhere. But _where_ was she now? Had the others realized she was gone yet? And if it wasn’t Bonnie then who had taken her?

Standing, Andy quietly moved toward the window. Looking out at the surroundings, she saw other apartments across the street. Looking down she saw she was in an apartment downtown… Achingly aware of her dry throat, she began rummaging through the dresser and closet for something to use as a weapon. They were filled with men’s clothing and her nose crinkled as she came across the underwear drawer. She assumed she had been kidnapped by Klaus, one of his associates, or someone who wanted to make a deal with Klaus. However, why hadn’t they taken Elena? She was the one important to the sacrifice. Unless someone wanted to make a deal with Elena…

Andy didn’t find anything except for a wire hanger, so she quickly unbent it and fashioned it into a weapon. She wasn’t sure if she would be mentally capable of stabbing someone but she figured if they threatened her life, then the adrenaline should help. She put her makeshift weapon in the pocket of her oversized pants. They were an old pair of her father’s he had given her when she complained about not having any quality pockets on her pajama pants. She wore a dark grey tank top… without a bra. She felt self-conscious about it but was more concerned with finding out where she was and who took her.

She slowly opened the bedroom door, her left-hand curling around the weapon. She looked through the crack in the door, seeing if she could see anything. She could barely see the front door, where two men stood. She had to hold her breath as she instantly recognized the back of Alaric’s head, which meant Klaus had been the one who had taken her. The other man who was faced toward her was unfamiliar to her with his dark hair and pale skin. He was muscular but shorter than Alaric by roughly a foot.

“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” The unfamiliar man said.

“Yes, do hurry. I'm anxious to get out of this body. And if you get hung up, call me. You know how impatient I get,” Alaric—Klaus, Andy reminded herself—said with a threatening tone before he closed the door on the man.

“Where is he going?” Andy jumped at the voice. _Elena?_ She strained to see, but could only see Alaric as he crossed the room into what looked like the kitchen. She could just see his shoulder and no one else.

“To retrieve me. So I can get out of this bad hair-do,” Alaric said with a huff.

“Are you sure that's a good idea, Klaus?”

“Well, the full moon is almost upon us,” He continued. Andy heard something clack against the countertop. “I've killed the witch, I have the moonstone, and the doppelgänger is waiting in the wings. _Ohh_ , I am ready to break this curse.”

“And why would you do that here? There are so many people that would try to stop you.”

“Because I _have_ to. It's the birthplace of the doppelgänger.”

“I didn't realize that was a requirement,”

“Well, how could you? You betrayed me and fled England before I could give you the details, Katerina,” Andy breathed out in relief. He didn’t have Elena _yet_. But Katherine was still alive? Why had he let her live? If he hated her as much as Katherine made it seem then she should be long dead. “But I did find your birthplace and I slaughtered your family. So I guess we're cool. Let's just hope that Elena isn't as stupid as you were.”

“She won't run. She'll die before she lets anyone that she loves get hurt, especially now because you have her sister.” Katherine said.

“And that's exactly what I'm counting on,” Andy watched as he turned around and faced the bedroom door. She pulled away and did her best to control her breathing. “You can come out, love. I won’t bite. You aren’t on my hit list.”

Andy’s grip tightened around the hanger as she considered staying in the room and locking the door. He could probably break it himself, but if Katherine was helping him she would have no problem breaking it down. Her best option was probably to just go out there and get this over with.

She inhaled and exhaled a couple times before she reluctantly opened the door. She stepped into the doorway and looked over at Klaus and Katherine who were standing in the kitchen. Katherine held up a pot of coffee.

“Thirsty?” She asked.

Andy remained silent as her gaze went back to Klaus. It was weird to see Alaric’s eyes but know that it wasn’t Alaric in there. Klaus had a grin slowly pull at his lips. “Now, that wasn’t hard, was it?” Andy didn’t speak, instead, her gaze slipped to the front door, wondering if she could make a break for it but this didn’t escape Klaus’ notice. “I wouldn’t if I were you. Just because I don’t intend to kill you doesn’t mean I won’t hurt you if I have to.”

“I would say the feeling is mutual, but the picture of seeing your corpse is looking really attractive right now,” Andy said, looking back at him with a scowl.

“That would mean your precious history teacher would be dead, love. I didn’t think you wanted to lose anyone else,” He said, raising an eyebrow. She felt sick to her stomach as she looked at him. He looked so satisfied and amused. She hated it and hated him. She tried to search his eyes for some sign that he was Elijah’s brother but found nothing. They seemed like they were nothing alike to her, even if she had just met Klaus.

“If it meant you were dead, Ric would be happy,” Andy said as she looked back over at Katherine. Seriously, why did Klaus spare her? Wasn’t he supposed to have an all-consuming rage about him? “Besides if your little friend brings your real body back, who is to say you won’t be killed?”

Klaus laughed. “Oh, so this is the doppelganger who would rather see everyone die than just one person. I suppose it is a good thing Elena is the one who I need.”

“I don’t want to see anyone die. You’re the one who killed Bonnie!” Andy yelled as she took a step toward him. She felt the crippling emotions from the night before still. She could still see Bonnie’s dead body lying there with blood all over her mouth from where it had dripped down her nose. She had known the witch her entire life, not even considering the fact that she had been Elena’s best friend.

“Because you all are trying to stop something that will happen one way or another,” Klaus replied nonchalantly. “She was in the way. Had she not tried to kill me, I would have let her be.”

“Will the sacrifice happen? Because like Katherine said, there’s an awful lot of stuff that could go wrong in two days,” Andy pointed out, putting her free hand on her hip.

“Nothing bad enough will happen that can’t be fixed.”

Andy scoffed with a shake of her head. “If Bonnie hadn’t been a threat she would still be alive. Was the big, bad Klaus really afraid of one witch? Maybe you should reevaluate calling yourself the ‘ _baddest_ ’ vampire out there,” Andy taunted, beginning to feel the wire hanger cutting into her palm. She relaxed her hand a bit, though kept her hand in her pocket in case she needed to use her weapon at a moment’s notice. Klaus didn’t look happy at her words but she continued. “Maybe now that you took Bonnie away, we need another ally. I’m sure Elijah is still itching to kill the man who destroyed his family. Or should I say ‘ _your_.’”

Klaus walked over to her and yanked her hand out of her pocket, grabbing onto her wrist tightly. She did her best to yank away from him but she couldn’t do anything as he reached into her pocket and pulled out the bent hanger, pointing it to her throat. Andy scowled as he tightened his grip and forced her to look him in the eyes.

“I wouldn’t try me, Andrea. I am not a man to take mockery or insults lightly. And, last I checked, I don’t truly need you for anything,” He pressed the pointy end against her neck. She leaned back slightly but still kept her eyes locked onto his. “I might just silence you for a bit, just so I don’t have to listen to you.”

“If you were looking for silence, you definitely kidnapped the wrong doppelganger,” Andy seethed at him despite the fear brewing in her at being this close to Klaus. With one easy swipe he could kill her, and yet staring him down she felt emboldened. She wondered if it was because he was in Alaric’s body and somehow didn’t seem as threatening in this state despite the object digging into her neck. “And I go by Andy, you dick. You don’t see me calling you Niklaus.”

Klaus’ eyes narrowed at her. “How much have you seen in those little dreams of yours?”

“Enough to know you’ve always been this annoying,” Andy snapped at him. He looked at her a moment longer before he released her and dropped the hanger to the ground. She took a step back as she continued glaring at him.

Klaus watched her for another moment with a contemplative expression before he walked over to Katherine. She tensed up at his approach and Andy watched in curiosity as she wondered what he was going to do. “You can't leave until I tell you to,” He said as he compelled her. He then picked up a shopping bag before walking back over to Andy with it outstretched. “Go ahead and change. Try to hurry. I’m not a patient man and you’ve already managed to annoy me. One more strike and you’ll be out of the game, I’m afraid.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you,” Andy said, refusing to take the bag from him. She wanted to kick herself for being so stupid and testing him but after seeing what he did to Bonnie, the last thing she wanted to do was comply. He had another thing coming to him if he thought she would just play nice because of who he was.

“Yes, you are. If you ever want to go home, that is,” Klaus said, his arm still outstretched before him. “Run along now, love.”

“I’ll find other clothes,” Andy said and turned away before stalking into Alaric’s bedroom and slamming the door behind her. She locked it after a moment of gathering herself in case he decided to barge in. She was trapped here with Klaus _and_ Katherine, two people who didn't give a damn about her safety. Where were Damon and Stefan? Or anyone else? Shouldn’t they have already run to get her back? If anyone else hadn’t noticed she was gone, Jenna would. Her aunt would have known Andy would have run off.

Andy found a pair of sweatpants that she was able to tighten around her waist and roll up the bottoms. Alaric had an old faded navy blue t-shirt with “DUKE” written across the chest she decided to wear. It was going to be weird wearing Alaric’s clothing, but she preferred that over than letting Klaus choosing what she wore. She wasn’t able to find a pair of shoes that would work and decided to see if she could find another pair of sandals out in the rest of the apartment. She walked out of the bedroom and ignored Klaus and Katherine—who were both standing around in a tense silence—as she walked around the apartment.

“You could have at least tried the clothes on,” Klaus said as he watched her move about the room.

“No thank you. I don’t want or need anything from you,” Andy said, frowning when she couldn’t find anything. Klaus lifted a pair of slip-on shoes from the bag. “Size 9, right?”

Andy looked over at him with a scowl. “I’ll take my chances on the dress shoes.” She went to head back into Alaric’s bedroom, but Klaus blocked her path with the shoes in his hand.

“Wear these, love. You must be starving. Do you _really_ want to go into your workplace with such mismatched clothing?” He asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

“I genuinely don’t give a damn how I go dressed in there,” Andy replied as she folded her arms over her chest. “Now move.” She went to walk around him but he stepped in her way.

“Would you prefer I compel you? You are awfully close to strike three, love.”

Andy scowled at him for a moment before snatching the shoes away. She slipped them on but was fully prepared to chuck a shoe at his head when she got the chance. Alaric would have to forgive her if it left a bruise. As she stood straight up to make a comment, she suddenly felt as if she was being suffocated. She began gasping for air and felt a pain in her chest. She felt her knees buckle and quickly caught herself on the back of the loveseat. She pressed a hand to her chest, feeling her heart pounding as she struggled for air.

“Andy?” Klaus asked. “What is going on?”

She couldn’t speak to answer him and instead began gasping for air. Why couldn’t she breathe? Why did she feel as if someone had stuck someone against her face? She felt hands on her but she was beginning to see floaters in her vision. And just as quickly as the feeling came over her, it disappeared. Her vision began to clear and breathing became normal as she met Alaric’s gaze as he stood in front of her with a look of concern on his face.

“Are you okay, love?”

_Klaus_. She realized his hands were still on her and immediately stood up, causing him to stumble slightly as he stood to avoid colliding with her. She didn’t know what had just happened but the last person she needed comforting from was Klaus. Katherine was watching silently from her seat at the island in the kitchen, but she looked more curious than concerned.

“Are we leaving or not?” Andy asked as she moved toward the front door. She knew that even if Klaus had no intention of letting her go, the Grill could present the perfect opportunity to escape, especially if Matt was working today. She could figure out how to get him to contact the others.

“After you,” Klaus said as he moved to open the front door. She glanced back at Katherine before she walked out of the apartment, hoping this wouldn’t turn out to be a bad idea.

* * *

“The choices here are so limited…” Klaus said as he looked over the menu. “How does anyone even digest this stuff? The bar seems to have a larger variety at least.”

“Maybe you could go somewhere else. Anywhere but here,” Andy said as she sat sunk back in the booth. Klaus had compelled the entire restaurant. The wait staff was focused completely on them and the patrons all sat in eerie silence as music played over the speakers. Matt wasn’t working today, but honestly, it was for the best if Klaus was around. She still didn’t even understand how he was able to compel despite being in a human body.

“Andy, I believe we should get one thing straight,” He leaned forward and met her gaze. “I will _not_ leave the doppelganger behind. This has been a long time coming.” He picked up his glass of bourbon and took a sip as he relaxed back in his seat.

“So you don’t have to spill _my_ blood just so you can walk in the sun without a daylight ring?” Andy asked, her arms folded over her chest. “Just my sister’s?”

Klaus chuckled. “Oh, love, did you not hear me the first time? No, you are not needed for the sacrifice. Elijah must not have told you much about it, did he?”

Andy looked down at her fingers as she drummed them against the tabletop. “Well, he wasn’t around a lot.”

“And yet you still were drooling over him, hm?” Klaus teased mockingly. She rolled her eyes and watched as one of the waitresses stood over their table looking completely out of it.

“Taylor, can you get me a Coke and a number three?” Andy ordered. The blonde nodded as she jotted the order down and turned to Klaus.

“What can I get you, sir?”

“I’ll have the same as her,” He said, passing the menus back to her. Andy watched with a frown as the blonde walked back to the kitchen, wondering what the best escape plan would be. There were no windows in the bathroom so she couldn’t make that escape. However, she could potentially make it through the back if she used the excuse that she needed to check her work schedule for the week as her excuse. That would only work if he stayed at the table.

“You’re trying to think of an escape. Don’t. This isn’t me flaunting to your sister,” Klaus said as she looked up to meet his gaze. “I just want you all to realize how easy it will be for me to get my revenge should the sacrifice be impeded by anyone or anything at all.”

“Why is the curse so important to you?” Andy demanded, clenching her fists. “Why do you have to do this?”

“Since my dear brother didn’t inform you, then I suppose I will but only because I can tolerate you more than the Salvatores,” Klaus said, pausing to take a sip of his bourbon. “The Sun and the Moon curse… what do you know of its origins?”

“I know nothing except for Elena has to die and that either vampires or werewolves win,” Andy replied with a shrug. “I think I remember someone saying Aztec?”

“Yes, I imagine they did… Would you like to hear a story?”

“Not really, but if it has a point and relevancy to the topic, then sure thing,” She replied as Taylor brought them their Cokes. She left without another word.

“There was once a boy who was different from his siblings and was often on the receiving end of his father’s ire. One day they all became stronger, and this boy was the strongest of them all, however, his strength was due to something no one had anticipated,” Klaus flexed his hands and Andy watched him closely, her mind hovering on the man she had seen in her dreams. The one who had yelled at Klaus about the mask, could that have been his father? She wondered if his father was a vampire as well. “It turns out the boy was not only his father’s greatest shame but his mother’s as well. She had a tryst with a werewolf and it resulted in the boy,” Andy’s eyebrows shot up. Had he a different father from Elijah? “Once the boy became stronger, that werewolf gene was triggered. Ashamed and hoping to restore balance, his mother made certain he would never be able to access his true nature unless he gathered… certain materials.”

“I’m confused,” Andy admitted in a small voice. Was he saying he wanted to be a werewolf but couldn’t because of his vampire side? “What are you saying?”

“The Sun and the Moon curse is fake. Elijah and I created it so more people would be looking for the moonstone and the doppelganger,” Klaus explained with a proud smirk. Andy’s jaw dropped slightly as she processed his words. “It was some of my best work. No one has ever questioned its legitimacy. In reality, I wish to unlock what my nature truly is. To be a true hybrid.”

Andy closed her eyes for a moment and did her best not to blow up at him in anger. “You’re doing all of this… killing Bonnie, torturing those in Mystic Falls, sacrificing my twin sister… all because you want to be a werewolf?” She opened her eyes to look at him as her sentence ended. He was looking at her as if he were confused that she didn’t understand him.

“Because I want to be a true hybrid, love. It’s in my blood. Why should I be denied that? I did not tell my mother to have an affair. I never asked for any of this.”

“This is ridiculous,” Andy said and stood. She was just going to walk out. Damn Klaus. Damn Klaus and his stupid reasoning. Damn all of this.

“I would hate for someone to die, Andy. Perhaps Taylor could die first? Or maybe a fellow patron. We don’t want our wait staff to be understaffed,” Klaus taunted with a smirk. She paused and looked back at him with a furrowed brow. Seeing him in Alaric’s body was still unsettling. With a reluctant sigh, she slid back into the booth and looked anywhere but at him. “I wanted this to be about _avoiding_ bloodshed, Andy. I thought that was something you wanted. It is why I had my witch Greta retrieve you so you and I could come to an understanding.”

“You killed Bonnie. You’re going to kill my sister, Klaus. How can bloodshed be avoided?” Andy asked in exasperation.

“Here’s your food!” Taylor announced as she sat their baskets down and told them to let her know if they needed anything. Andy left her food untouched as she looked at Klaus who gazed back at her.

“Further bloodshed _can_ be avoided, though I’m afraid not your sister will still die,” Klaus said slowly. “As you said, Bonnie was a threat. I had to remove her or otherwise, I would have been forced to kill much more people. However, we can avoid further if you can convince the Salvatores to _back down_. The sacrifice will happen. It is just a matter of whether or not I will need to kill them.”

Andy nearly face-palmed. Did Klaus learn nothing during his time in Alaric’s body? She let out a humorless laugh as she started to nibble on a couple fries despite her lack of appetite.

“What?” He questioned with a displeased expression. He didn’t like to be laughed at, Andy noticed. She could use that knowledge for the future.

“You clearly paid no attention these last few days. The Salvatores don’t listen to me, they listen to Elena. They love _her_ ,” Andy said, keeping her gaze on the basket of food. “You should have just kidnapped Elena and told her all of this. She would have sided with you just to avoid anyone else dying. Then again, you _did_ kill her best friend, who we both knew since we were six. Maybe she would tell you to go to hell.”

“Something tells me you can make them listen,” He said before exhaling. “And I suppose if not, I can always kill Jeremy or Jenna. Your little brother would hurt a lot, wouldn’t it? Innocent and young. But Jenna… your aunt, the only true parent you have left. I imagine her death would leave you quite upset.”

Andy stared at him and felt as if she was beginning to see red. How dare he threaten her family. He could deal with the Salvatores easily but why did he need to get her to do it for him? Was he that desperate to prove that he was the alpha?

“Klaus… I’m not doing _shit_ for you, Klaus. Maybe if you hadn’t killed Bonnie, but now I’m excited to find a way to kill you,” Andy said as she looked up to meet his gaze.

His expression grew darker. “I don’t like threats, Andy.”

“You’re a fucking _Original_. You don’t need me to do your dirty work,” Andy pointed out as she clutched the edge of the table. “If you want them to back off tell them yourself. You’re not going to bully me into submission. You would think with the way Mikael treated you that you’d try to at least—”

“How do you know that name?” Klaus growled at her. She felt a rush of fear hit her but she kept her composure. The look on his face was deadly and made Alaric look less like himself and more like Klaus.

“I know lots of names. Kol. Rebekah. Tell me, did you kill them as well?” Klaus was clearly agitated as he downed the rest of his bourbon. He slammed the glass down on the table and looked at her in anger.

“If you ever mention their names to me again, I will make you regret every syllable,” Klaus stated slowly, but the menace behind it made her pause and decide to drop the topic. While she had surprisingly kept her calm around Klaus, she knew now wasn’t the time to push him about it. Not while there were innocent people around. His family was something he clearly didn’t like to talk too much about.

“Something tells me that would be a bad idea,” A voice called out. Andy looked up to see Stefan walking into the Grill. She sighed in relief and went to stand, but Klaus’ hand shot out and grabbed her wrist. She sat back down but watched Stefan closely as he glanced them over to make sure Andy wasn’t hurt. _At least someone noticed_ , Andy thought to herself as Stefan got closer. However, Klaus tightened his grip on her wrist.

“Stefan. Wonderful of you to join us,” Klaus said. “Would you like a drink? There is plenty to drink around here, and they’re all compelled already.”

“Let her go, Klaus,” Stefan said as he came to a stop about ten feet away from them. “You don’t need her.”

“No, but I was attempting to explain to her why you and your brother should stay out of my way,” Klaus replied. “If I recall, the next full moon is tomorrow. Let me complete the sacrifice and I will be out of this bloody town forever.”

“Let go of me,” Andy snapped as she tried to pull her wrist away.

“Explain it to _me_. Let her go home,” Stefan continued moving toward them but Klaus picked up a knife and pointed it at Stefan.

“I would stay back if I were you, Stefan. I would hate to kill two doppelgangers so close together,” Klaus said, twirling the knife in his hand before he laid Andy’s hand on the table and had the knife hover over it. “After all, I heard that this one’s body doesn’t heal too well with vampire blood. I could saw my way through the bone and we could test it out.”

“If you hurt her, Elena won’t be doing anything willingly,” Stefan pointed out, the worry in his eyes as he glanced in between the two.

“Hm. You’re right,” Klaus stuck the knife into the table, causing Andy to jump before letting out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. He let go of her wrist and she quickly brought it to her chest, watching him warily. “So, tell me, what _was_ the big plan here, Stefan? To kill me? Rescue your girl’s sister? It is a last grand gesture for certain. I bet Elena is busy fawning over you… or is it Damon she likes now? It is hard to keep whatever is going on between you three straight.”

“I’m not leaving here without her,” Stefan stated determinedly. “Let her go or I will—”

“Will what, Stefan? These people are compelled,” Klaus said, gesturing to the others in the Grill. “Perhaps they are compelled to kill one another on my command.”

“I heard you out,” Andy said, drawing Klaus’ attention back to her. “That’s all you asked of me. Why can’t I go now? You don’t need me.”

“I also don’t need you running around planning against me,” He replied. “And you clearly didn’t listen to me. You refused to do as I asked.”

“I’m just a human, Klaus. You’re not really afraid of me, are you?” Andy shot back at him.

Klaus watched Andy for a moment. She wasn’t certain he was going to let her leave but finally, he spoke up. “You may leave,” He stood with her and grabbed her arm, causing her to look back at him. “Just remind Elena how easy it will be for me to get my revenge if she tries to stop me from breaking this curse.”

“Let me guess, I’ll be top of your hit list if she does?” Andy asked, pulling away from his grasp with a scowl.

“You learn quickly,” Klaus said mockingly with a smile.

“Go to hell,” Andy snapped before she walked toward Stefan. She almost expected Klaus to stop her but was pleasantly surprised when he didn’t.

“You okay?” Stefan asked her as she stopped in front of him.

“Yeah,” Andy said, fighting the urge to hug Stefan. They started to leave until Klaus’ voice stopped them.

“One more thing… since you don’t seem to believe me,” Klaus said as he walked over to a table of two men. “Gentlemen, I want you to fight each other until one of you dies. Now.”

One of the men jumped up and tackled his friend over the table. “ _Stop!_ ” Andy shouted as she moved forward but Stefan grabbed her to keep her in place. “Klaus, don’t!”

“Klaus, stop this!” Stefan said as the two men didn’t hold back.

“Tell Elena what I said, Andy,” Klaus said nonchalantly as he moved back to his table. Stefan sped over and knocked the two men out before he sped over to Klaus and punched him in the face. He fell to the floor with a bloodied lip.

“Leave these people alone, Klaus. They haven’t done anything to you,” Stefan demanded. Klaus simply laughed, causing Stefan to kick him in the stomach. Klaus groaned as Andy moved over to make sure the humans had done any lasting damage to one another in their few seconds of fighting.

Klaus looked up at Stefan with an irritated expression. “Alaric will feel that in the morning.”

“Leave. _Now_.” Stefan demanded as he yanked Klaus up to his feet.

“Might as well. I have a lot of preparation for tomorrow after all,” Klaus said before he walked past Stefan, pausing briefly to look at Andy. They stared at one another for a moment before Klaus left the Grill. As soon as he did, mayhem broke out.

All of the other patrons and workers began fighting one another. Andy turned in horror as they started beating the hell out of people. She watched as Meg, one of the bartenders, broke a glass bottle and then stabbed Tom, the manager on duty, in the neck. As Stefan started stopping some of the other patrons from fighting, Andy rushed over to the bar. She went behind it and knelt next to Rick, pressing her hands down on the wound as blood profusely poured out.

“Oh, god, no…” She whispered as she saw the light slowly begin to fade from his eyes. Suddenly Meg dropped unconscious beside her, the bottle still clutched in her bloody hand. She glanced back to see Stefan had stopped the bartender from stabbing Andy. She turned her attention but to Tom in enough time to hear him gurgle and his eyes to turn glossy. She felt her eyes become misty as she clutched Tom’s shirt. Why did Klaus do this?

“I’m so sorry, Andy,” Stefan whispered after he had knocked the others out. She was still sitting with Tom’s body, looking at Meg. “I shouldn’t have hit him. He would have let them go if I hadn’t provoked him.”

Andy shook her head. “No, it’s not your fault. This was Klaus… He must have compelled them to do this when he left,” She stood up and looked around the Grill. She saw two other bodies bleeding out. “Can you…?”

“They’re dead, Andy. I’m sorry.”

Andy inhaled sharply and made herself remember the faces Klaus had so casually tossed aside. “We need to kill this son of a bitch.”

* * *

“Klaus and I faked the sun and moon curse dating back over a thousand years,” Elijah finished his explanation to Elena as they walked the perimeter of the Lockwood’s property. Elena had removed the dagger that morning while Damon and Stefan weren’t around. Once he had fully recovered, she had given him the dagger and asked to make a new deal to help kill Klaus. Now he found himself explaining the story of the real curse placed on Klaus.

Elena looked over at him with her almond eyes. “But if there's no curse...”

“There _is_ a curse. Just not that one,” Elijah said casually. _Buzz_. He knew it was Elena’s phone as it was still in his pocket. It had been going off non-stop the past ten minutes. He had tried to ignore it but it was becoming harder. “The real one's much worse. It's a curse placed on Klaus.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Klaus has been trying to break it for the last thousand years. And you are his only hope,” Elijah said, doing his best to ignore the vibrating phone.

“What is this curse?” Elena questioned as they came to a stop and turned toward one another.

Annoyed, Elijah pulled out her phone and held it out. “Your phone will not stop its incessant buzzing. Answer it, please.”

Elena looked at the caller ID before her eyebrows furrowed in worry. “Stefan... what's wrong?”

“ _I found Andy. We were right. Klaus had taken her_ ,” Stefan said, causing Elijah’s ears to perk up. Had Andrea been missing? And Klaus had taken her? He looked over at Elena’s worried expression, wondering what his brother would have done to the doppelganger. He didn’t need her but he knew his brother would go to her at least once. His curiosity about the latest Anastasia look-alike would be too strong.

“Oh my god… Is she alright?”

“ _I got her back safely, but… well, Klaus compelled a lot of people at the Grill. It wasn’t a complete bloodbath but she’s in shock. She… she saw a co-worker kill one of their managers_ ,” Stefan explained. Elijah had wondered where Andrea was this morning. He had almost expected it to be her to yank out the dagger but had been surprised to see it was Elena. Though a part of him should have expected to be undaggered. He was the only one who knew Klaus’ tactics.

“I’m on my way,” Elena promised, causing Elijah to raise an eyebrow at her. She had given his word that she wouldn’t leave today. However, there was a shuffling on the other side of the phone before a new voice spoke up.

“ _It’s okay, Elena. Stefan told me where you are_ ,” Andrea said, her voice causing Elijah to listen more intently. “ _Klaus… told me some stuff too. About the curse and what it actually is. I’m not inclined to believe him, but…_ ”

“We can cross-reference later, okay? I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

“ _I’m_ fine _, Elena. Klaus repeated multiple times he didn’t have any intentions to hurt me and he didn’t put one scratch on me. Well, that is if we don’t try to stop this sacrifice from happening_ ,” Andrea explained. Elijah clenched his right-hand but remained silent as Elena turned away from Klaus. “ _He wanted to show me that he was willing to get his revenge if we try, Elena. Stefan was able to stop some of the people but…_ ”

“Let me come to you, okay? Elijah can wait.”

“ _No,_ stay _. I’ve got Stefan, Damon, and Jenna here with me. Jen won’t let me leave her sight and Stefan is making dinner right now. Your favorite, actually. I’d tell you to invite Elijah over, but the last time he had dinner here didn’t turn out too well_ ,” Andrea joked, causing Elijah to give a small smile. He circled around the outside chess table as Elena continued speaking, noticing the queen. He picked it up and began tracing its surface with his thumb as he recalled his conversation with Andrea about chess. It seemed like it was forever ago now.

“Just… call me if you need anything, okay, Andy? I won’t be gone much longer.”

“ _I didn’t want to interrupt anything, but Stefan insisted_.” Elijah watched in silence as Elena said her goodbyes to her sister, his mind wandering back to a time long ago of the last pair of doppelgangers he had seen.

_He stood by Milena as they watched Katerina walk ahead of them, a bit silently as she was upset over something. She had agreed to go out for a walk but hadn’t been in a talkative mood._

_“It seems Katerina is not the only one stuck in her thoughts,” Elijah mused as he looked over at his companion. Her brown hair was pulled back with a few curls falling around her face. She looked beautiful in her deep green gown, her cheeks red because of the heat. However, her gaze rested solely on her sister, watching her every move as if she was scared the girl would run away._

_“Katerina is not the only one to have noticed the absence of a certain lord,” Milena replied, stealing a quick glance at him._

_“Klaus does not live by any rules but his own,” Elijah murmured, turning his head forward. He hadn’t missed the lingering looks Klaus had given Milena, though he had noticed her lack of interest in his brother. It only drew Klaus closer, despite his courting of her sister._

_“He is a very charming man. Hard for anyone to resist, I suppose,” Milena sighed as Katerina stopped to admire some flowers. “Katerina seems to enjoy his company at times.”_

_“And yet you seem impervious to his… livelihood,” Elijah replied as they stopped about ten feet behind the doppelganger._

_“He is far too forward if that is what you meant. And yes, I must admit I have never cared for his attention,” Milena finally turned to face Elijah, an unreadable look in her almond eyes. “I know not why he courts Katerina. He seems to not care about her at all.”_

_Elijah tried not thinking about why his brother was showing attention to Katerina. He liked pretending he was ignorant of what was to come, especially in their company. He did not want to think how Milena would look at him when he would allow her sister—the girl she doted on and seldom let out of her sight—be sacrificed. Or how young Katerina was. She was practically a child and she was going to die because of the curse their mother placed on Niklaus._

_“Many a union has been built on much less,” Elijah pointed out as he tried to get the sacrifice off his mind._

_“Is it wrong for her to want more? For me to want more for her?” Milena questioned with a sigh. “She has been through a lot, my lord. I simply want her to be happy. Forgive me, but I do not think your brother will do that. I believe she would be happy as a lady, certainly. She has always loved material items, but I know my sister. How she acts toward Lord Niklaus is not entirely true. She would not be happy with him. She does not love him.”_

_“And you? What would make you happy?” Elijah asked, feeling his heart pounding in his chest as she looked at him with a shy smile. He had always loved how honest she had been with him._

_“My lord, I think you would believe my response to be sentimental and a youthful fantasy.”_

_“I have caught you red-handed reading sonnets before.”_

_She laughed and continued smiling at him. “Yes, much to my embarrassment…” She paused for a moment before she spoke hesitantly. “I would not marry until I was certain Katerina was happily settled. Even then, I do not have much to offer in way of finances. Most importantly… I do not think I could marry someone I did not love.”_

_Elijah looked over at her but remained silent as they continued walking after Katerina, who was beginning to slowly make her way back toward the house. Milena met her gaze briefly, a blush on her cheeks before she sheepishly looking away from him. “Thank you for entertaining us, my lord.”_

_“You both looked rather lonely inside, so I took pity on you,” He said, not wanting to admit he had already planned to ask Milena if she had been busy today._

_“It is an odd thing to be lonely despite having my twin here. We have been together through everything, and yet…”_

_“You care for each other a great deal.”_

_“We are all we have ever truly had,” Milena murmured before she saw Trevor approaching Katerina. Her sister visibly cheered up as Trevor joined her in their walk._

_“Do you believe she has more with Trevor than with my brother? I have seen them spend a fair amount of time together,” Elijah questioned out of curiosity. He hoped his question didn’t come off as angry that she believed Katerina was too good for his brother._

_“Trevor believes that he loves her, my lord, but true love is not real unless it is returned,” She said, throwing him a look. “Would you agree? Or are we to have another disagreement?”_

_He smiled small but still spoke evenly. “I do not believe in love, Milena.”_

_“That is too sad and confusing for me to accept, my lord. Life is too cruel. If we cease to believe in love, why would we want to live? Besides, I have caught you red-handed reading sonnets of your own,” She teased playfully as Katerina and Trevor began playing chase in the clearing. Elijah didn’t respond, though his smile grew as they turned to watch the two playing. “What would make you happy in marriage, my lord? Your station allows for more choices. Surely you have thought of it before.”_

_Elijah turned to look at her, the memories of a life lived long ago threatening to tear him apart once again. “I was married once.” He admitted._

_She looked taken aback, though her gaze did not harden. “My apologies, my lord. I did not mean to pry.”_

_“It is no trouble, Milena. She made me happy. I suppose that is all one can ask for in a partner,” A small smile curved on his face as he turned to look back at her. “You remind me of her.”_

_Milena replied with a smile of her own as she turned to watch her sister. “I do not deserve the compliment. Any woman who receives the admiration of the mysterious Lord Elijah must certainly be a sight to behold.”_

_“She certainly is,” Elijah said softly as he gazed at the rays of sunlight that made her brown hair lighter. She turned to look at him and noticed the way he was looking at her. He saw her inhale and wondered if her cheeks were still pink from the weather outside or if it was because of another reason. Before one of them could say another word, they were joined by someone else._

_“What do I interrupt?”_

_Milena and Elijah both had to blink a few times before the spell that had washed over both broke. They turned to see Klaus standing there, his hands clasped behind his back as he only wore an undershirt covered in blood._

_“He's returned,” Elijah commented, his eyes going to the bloodied fabric as he tried to hide his annoyance at being interrupted. “Long night.”_

_“What has happened?” Milena questioned, her brow furrowed in confusion._

_“The wrong villager picked a fight at the tavern,” Klaus said, a smile plastered on his face. “Would you like to take a turn with me, Milena? It seems your sister has busied herself with Trevor for the moment.”_

_Milena wordlessly took Klaus’ arm and they began to walk the opposite way of Katerina and Trevor. Elijah felt his chest tightened as Klaus smiled at Milena, the familiar scene sickening him. She looked back at him, the same admiration he had seen in her eyes moments before still there. At that moment, he knew for certain he was in trouble of his feelings getting out of control. Worst of all, he believed they already had._

“Elijah?” He blinked a few times, realizing Elena had turned back to him, her brow furrowed as she watched him.

“Forgive me. All of this is making me… nostalgic,” He admitted before he gestured back to the Lockwood mansion. “I believe I have had enough fresh air for the moment.” He turned and walked toward the house, his mind threatening to run back through more memories of Milena. He found himself wondering what Klaus had thought of the most recent doppelganger of Anastasia. After all, they had both loved the original. Whatever he had thought, Elijah hoped that Klaus stayed away from Andrea. He had a hand in the destruction of the last two and didn’t need to add another to the list.

* * *

"How are you feeling?”

Andy sighed as she threw a scowl at Jenna. Since she had returned earlier that day, both Jenna and John had not let her out of their sight, except to use the bathroom and even then, Jenna stood outside and listened. John had left after a while with a promise to return later but didn’t say what he was going to do. She understood their worry, but with Elena out where Klaus could easily snatch her, she believed worrying about her was more important.

“I’m _fine_ , Jen. Seriously, don’t worry,” Andy said as she closed her math textbook. “Though it’s kind of hard to get anything done when you’re asking me every minute if I’m okay.”

Jenna sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. She sat across from Andy in the parlor, the two of them trying to get schoolwork done despite everything going on around them. The only teacher who would accept “I was kidnapped by a psychotic Original who wants to sacrifice my sister” as an excuse was currently the host of said Original.

“I know,” Her aunt said. “I’m just worried. The things you saw today… Listen, I don’t blame you if you want to quit the Grill. Having a job is nice and everything, but you shouldn’t have to go back there if it makes you uncomfortable.”

“I appreciate it, really,” Andy stood and stretched her arms out. “I think I may take a shower before Elena gets here. You going to stand outside the door?”

Jenna shook her head but smiled at her. “No, you dork. But anything over half an hour and I’m barging in.”

Andy threw her a smile in return before she headed upstairs. After gathering her stuff for her shower, she quickly jumped in the hot water and did her best not to think, though it was hard not to have the image of Meg stabbing Tom in the neck replaying in her mind. Klaus had let all those innocent people die just to prove a point. If anything, he had only proved how more important it was to kill him. Anyone who would force other people to kill and not think twice about it didn’t deserve the power he has. Vampire or not, no one should kill.

Her mind wandered to the other Original who was now back in the picture. Elijah was somewhere with Elena right now, making another deal to get him to help them kill Klaus. She wasn’t sure if he would agree, but she hoped he would. Even if Klaus hadn’t actually killed Bonnie—something Stefan had kindly informed her of after they had gotten to safety—they needed someone as strong as him to subdue him. If anything went wrong, Andy didn’t doubt he would paint Mystic Falls red.

Andy did have to wonder what had happened to Klaus’ and Elijah’s family. Elijah had told her that Klaus destroyed it, but how? Were their other siblings killed by Klaus? Klaus had mentioned something of their father—who she knew was Mikael by his reaction—and mother, and she had seen the clear hatred for them in his gaze. Maybe he had killed them as well. After today, there wasn’t much she would put past Klaus. She would have felt bad for him because of having to put up with Mikael—who turned out not to even be his father—if he was revolting in his own way.

After finishing her shower, Andy headed downstairs in her oversized t-shirt and sweatpants. Jenna and she planned to do face masks once Elena got back. With the full moon tomorrow night, they wanted to get Elena’s mind off it for a while. Since Jeremy had been staying with Bonnie safely tucked away, it was decided it was going to be a bit of a girls’ night, with Stefan most likely tagging along. Andy wondered with a smile if she could convince him to join in.

As Andy walked down the stairs, Damon came bounding past her with an angry expression on his face. “You okay there?” She asked him, not certain she wanted to know what had made him angry. The last time she had dealt with him like this he had choked her.

“Ask your sister. She’s the one who is trusting Elijah—the same guy who originally was going to sacrifice her—who claims he now has a magical way to save her life,” Damon said as he continued past her. Andy sighed and continued walking herself, wondering where she could find Elena. She followed the sound of voices and came to a stop in the doorway of the library.

Immediately, her cheeks heated up when she spotted Elijah standing next to Elena, their backs turned to her. Stefan stood in front of them with a pensive expression and Jenna stood next to him. As if sensing her enter the room, Elijah turned to face her quickly enough that she couldn’t process the idea to bolt out of the room. Her hair was wrapped in a towel and her t-shirt at least ten years old. She was certain she would have looked like a complete slob had it not been for the shower. Still, he looked at her in slight amusement as he took in her clothing.

“Andy,” Elena breathed out in relief and rushed to hug her. Andy didn’t break eye contact with Elijah as she hugged her sister. If Elena had made another deal with Elijah, it meant the sacrifice was going to happen. However, Damon had mentioned something that Elijah finding a way for the doppelganger to not die.

“Glad to see you again,” Andy murmured to her sister.

Elena pulled back from the hug, causing Andy to tear her eyes away from Elijah and look at her sister. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine. Klaus didn’t hurt me, I promise,” Andy assured with a half-smile. Elena sighed in relief and nodded, returning her smile.

Elijah cleared his throat. “I will return in the morning. We can discuss the plan further.”

Andy watched him as he crossed the room to leave, their gazes locking again. As soon as he exited the room, she excused herself and followed him, unable to hide her satisfaction when she saw he had paused at the front door.

“Elijah,” She said as she approached him. He turned to look at her, a warm look entering his eyes. She felt a similar feeling rise in her chest. “You… you look considerably better.”

He gave her a half-smile. “Yes, well, I always thought I looked better without a dagger in my chest.”

“I didn’t know they were going to dagger you,” She said abruptly. “If that means anything. I mean, I probably would have backed them up but… I should stop talking,” She nervously chuckled as she folded her arms over her chest. “Damon mentioned something about you knowing a way that Elena wouldn’t die. Is that true?”

“It isn’t a surefire way, but it is something I had made from the previous attempt to break the curse,” Elijah admitted, his hand slipping into his pockets.

Andy’s brows furrowed. “You were trying to save Katherine’s life?”

“It wasn’t for her,” Elijah answered after a moment, his gaze not leaving hers once.

“Oh,” Andy whispered, realizing he had tried saving Katherine’s life because of her sister. Who else would he have potentially cared about enough to prevent Katherine’s death? It’s not like Katherine had many people who cared for her and Elijah had always seemed apathetic toward her. “I… I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?”

Elijah nodded, hesitating at the door. He turned his head to look back at her. “Niklaus won’t harm you, Andrea.”

She tilted her head. “What makes you so sure?”

“He didn’t hurt the others before you until he was provoked,” He stated, his gaze making her feel as if he were peering into her soul. _The others?_ She assumed he had meant the doppelgangers, but what had stopped Klaus from hurting them? Was it because of Anastasia?

“Will you tell me who Anastasia was one day?” She asked, feeling her heart pounding in her chest. He walked over to her and placed something in her hand. He wrapped his hand around hers ever so softly, causing her breath to get caught in her throat. She didn’t dare look at it, instead opting to look into those hazel brown eyes of his.

“As soon as Klaus has been dealt with, I will answer your questions,” Elijah promised before a smile curled onto his lips. “I give you my word.”

“I give you my word to pay you back for dirtying up your suit and car,” Andy replied with a smile. He returned it quickly before stepped away from her. He turned and opened the door, hesitating one more time to look back at her.

“Goodnight, Andrea.”

“Goodnight, Elijah,” Before her eyes, he disappeared completely. She let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding as she closed the front door, still feeling her heart pounding in her chest. She looked down at her hand to see a chess piece of a queen. She clutched it in her hand before she slowly made her way back toward the others. A warm feeling she hadn’t felt in a long time settled over her as she looked at the little chess piece before slipping it into her pocket. For the rest of the night she would reach into her pocket to feel the smooth surface.

**_~ * • ° • ° • * ~_ **


	16. Come Away to the Water

**_Poison & Wine ~ Chapter XVI_ **

**_~ * • ° • ° • * ~_ **  

_“Ana, I received your note,” Andy looked up to see Elijah approaching her. She was sitting in the woods by the river, picking up rocks and running her hands over them. “What is wrong?”_

_She tossed a few in the water before she spoke to him. “I am there is nothing wrong. I simply wanted to see you,” She admitted as she turned to look at him with a smile. “You have been so busy these last few days I have not even seen you. First Nik, now you. I was beginning to forget your face. I am afraid I am losing all of my friends.”_

_“I thought it wise to keep my distance. You were rather… distraught. I did not want to bother you,” He admitted as he stopped by her side._

_“You are my truest friend, Elijah. Ever since Nik has noticed Tatia… well, I have been lonely despite Rebekah and Kol. But you were the one who made me happy,” She said as she turned her entire body toward him. “These last few days have me realize that. I should not have fussed at you the way I did. It is not your fault Nik’s affections lie with another. I apologize for my harsh words.”_

_“There is nothing to forgive,” She watched Elijah swallow and look away. “He cares for you as well, Ana. He just cannot see it.”_

_“I care for Nik, it is true. But things have changed, Elijah._ I _have changed,” Andy stepped closer to him. He turned to look at her, the uncertainty written across his face. She put her hand on his cheek and smiled. “You are far more than I ever deserve.”_

_Elijah put his hand over hers, squeezing it and admiring the smoothness of her skin. “I believe it to be the other way around.” She smiled at him before they began to lean into one another. However, a voice interrupted them._

_“Elijah! So, this is where you disappear—” Klaus came to a halt as he witnessed their intimate moment. They stepped back from one another and turned to face the blue-eyed man, his expression one of confusion and… jealousy? “Anastasia.”_

_“Good evening, Nik,” She replied, her cheeks pink before she looked over at Elijah, feeling the longing in her chest as she gazed at him. “I… should leave. Mother will be needing help with supper.”_

_“I will walk you back,” Elijah offered but she shook her head with a smile._

_“I will be fine, Elijah. I will speak with you later,” She walked away and as she passed Klaus, gave him a small smile before walking away. She paused briefly, only to look back at Elijah. He smiled at her which she was quick to return, though missed the torn look upon Klaus’ face as she turned and hurried away from the brothers._

Upon waking, Andy still felt the longing ache in her chest. She did her best to ignore her thoughts as she got dressed, but it was hard when the little chess piece sat on the nightstand, making her cheeks heat up every time she noticed it again. After that dream and the way Elijah looked at her, she knew now that Elijah had been involved with Anastasia romantically. She had suspected before but that moment had cemented her belief. There had been so much adoration in his gaze, something that would have made fourteen-year-old Andy swoon. She continued reminding herself that Elijah was dangerous and could be much older than she could even comprehend, but every time she let her thoughts wander they ended up on the pair of hazel brown eyes. She tried to remind herself that even if he did feel a similar way toward her, it may be as a result of whatever affection he had for Anastasia. She didn’t want to be a replacement for him.

Heading downstairs, Andy found Stefan and Elena eating breakfast. They were surprisingly wide awake considering they had all stayed up late trying to ignore the inevitable. It had been a night of movies and facials. Much to Andy’s disappointment, Stefan had declined the invitation to join in on the latter, though he was helpful in applying them.

“Mornin’ gal and guy,” Andy greeted as she took one of the English muffins and took a bite of it.

“Feeling okay?” Elena asked her.

“I should be asking you that,” She replied with a raised eyebrow. She glanced over at Stefan who looked away from them. Tonight was the full moon and Elena may be dead within the next twenty-four hours. If it was Andy, she wouldn’t even know how to act, but here Elena was acting as if everything was peachy.

“Elijah has a way for me to survive. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Because he said it wasn’t a certainty it would work,” Andy said softly as she moved to stand across the island from her sister.

“If I die, then I die. We will have stopped Klaus and prevented him from killing anyone else,” Elena said nonchalantly. Andy glanced over at Stefan but he merely shrugged. She could tell he wasn’t really okay with it, but he trusted and respected Elena to make her own decision. Something Damon needed to learn.

“Oh…” Andy said hesitantly. The possibility of Elena dying wasn’t something she had let herself fret over until now. What if the potion didn’t actually work? Elena would die and it would another person for Andy to mourn. Even if Klaus would be dead, her twin sister—who she had come into the world with—would be dead.

Elena looked back at Andy, a sad look in her eyes. “Andy—”

“I don’t think I can handle a goodbye right now, Elena,” Andy admitted in a small voice. “It’s not even noon yet. And saying goodbye would be accepting that you’re going to die.”

Elena nodded in understanding. “Okay, we don’t have to say it then.”

“There’s something else,” Stefan spoke up. “Isobel’s been asking for you…”

Andy raised an eyebrow as she met Stefan’s gaze. “She’s asking for _me_?”

“She is. She doesn’t want to talk to anyone else,” Stefan said, glancing hesitantly at Elena.

“I guess I better get down there before Elijah shows up,” Andy sat down the English muffin she had only taken a couple bites of and brushed her hands off on her jeans. “Make sure she doesn’t kill me, will you?”

Andy headed out of the room and towards the basement, this time not hesitating as she approached Isobel’s cell. She opened the door and looked at her birth mother, who had become significantly more desiccated and dirty. However, this time Isobel’s head was hanging down. Andy could barely even tell the vampire was alive.

“I was beginning to think you’d never come down here.”

“I had a late night.”

“So I heard.” Isobel raised her head, showing off the true gray tint of her skin. “The sacrifice is happening tonight, isn’t it?”

Andy shrugged as she crossed her arms over her chest. “We assume it is. Why would he want to wait another month? It would just give Elena a better chance of running.”

“You’re going to let it happen, aren’t you?”

“It’s—it’s Elena’s decision. Besides, I’m only human. There’s not much I can do to stop an Original hellbent on breaking a curse that’s held back his ‘true nature’ for centuries,” Andy pointed out as she pulled the chair over from the corner to sit in front of Isobel.

“He’s going to need a vampire and werewolf, as you know. Stefan, Damon, Caroline, any vampire in Mystic Falls… they all need to be careful,” Isobel coughed and looked as if she was struggling to hold her head up. “Or you could offer me up. It would at least save him the trouble of killing me later on.”

“Do you really not remember what was so important he would have compelled you for?” Andy questioned.

“That is the thing, Andy. I don’t believe he told me anything important at all. He wanted to kill me to make a point, just as you experienced in the Grill yesterday,” Isobel spoke slowly, her voice hoarse. “There is no point to have me tied down.”

“You’re still compelled to kill yourself given the chance, Isobel. I’m not going to let you out, not while Klaus still has you compelled. And I’m not letting him sacrifice you,” Andy leaned forward in her chair. “You and John are the last parents Elena and I have. If I don’t at least try to keep you alive there’s no point to saving you in the first place. Klaus can’t win every battle.”

“Then you’re as stupid as the rest of them.”

“And you sound just like Katherine. She’s still alive, by the way. Klaus is keeping her prisoner,” Andy said as she stood and moved the chair back to the corner. Isobel blinked and looked away, causing Andy to feel a pang of bitterness hit her. Isobel could show genuine emotion for someone like Katherine, but then act apathetic towards her own children. “Maybe he intends to use her for the sacrifice.”

“Andy,” Isobel called out as she reached the doorway. She paused but didn’t turn to face the vampire. “I’m sorry I can’t be more help.”

“Why did you want to talk to me? Elena is the one who may die tonight. It makes more sense to say your goodbyes to her.”

“Because she may die tonight. Because if she does, then you’ll be the human doppelganger left behind. Because I want you to know that no matter what happens tonight, it doesn’t end,” Andy turned to face her with a furrowed brow.

“You know something,” Andy realized.

“I’m a researcher, Andy. To find Klaus I had to do my research,” Isobel coughed before she lifted her head to meet her daughter’s gaze. “Damon can take you to my home. You will find something there… you’ll know it when you see it. You need to protect it with your life, Andy, and never let any Original get their hands on it or anyone else for that matter.”

“Isobel, what is the dagger for?” Andy demanded. “What is so important about me staying human?”

“Read my notebooks. You’ll find out if you look deeply enough,” Isobel leaned her head back, letting out a small, humorless laugh. “Don’t let anyone have it, Andy. Not Jenna, Jeremy, or anyone else.”

“Why won’t you tell me?”

“Because you never know who is listening,” Isobel replied. Andy inhaled before she nodded, realizing this was the most anyone had gotten out of her.

“Thank you, Isobel,” Andy said as she turned and closed the door behind her, the sounds of Isobel’s coughing echoing off the walls. Andy’s head was spinning with thoughts as she considered what Isobel might mean. What could this mystery object be? What made it so dangerous Isobel wouldn’t even give any details about it?

When she made it upstairs, she saw Stefan and Elena had moved into the library and were chatting. When she entered the room, they both looked at her, though she knew Stefan had heard the entire conversation with Isobel.

“What did she say?” Elena asked gingerly.

“She wants me to gather her research. Apparently, there might be some information in there,” Andy huffed as she leaned against the back of the couch. “Of course she tells us the night of the sacrifice. I’ll have to get Damon to take me to her place.”

“What kind of information?”

Andy shrugged. “Not sure. She mentioned something about Klaus, but I don’t even know if a seasoned researcher could find a lot on him or Elijah.”

“It’s worth a shot,” Stefan said, his gaze meeting Andy’s. She had to hold in a sigh of relief as he gave her a small nod signaling he wouldn’t say anything about what he heard. Andy trusted her sister, but the last thing she needed was to have anything else dumped on her. She would tell her tomorrow if they made it through this.

They were interrupted by the doorbell and Andy felt her stomach twist as she thought of who it might be. “I’ve got it,” She said as coolly as she could manage. She walked as slow as she could so it wouldn’t look as if she was running to answer it. Upon opening the door, her composure faltered as she saw Elijah standing there, the memories of her dreams coming back and the little chess piece that sat upstairs.

“Good morning, Andrea,” He greeted, a smile playing on his lips.

“Elijah. It’s… good to see you,” She said with a small smile of her own.

“Likewise,” They stood there a moment, both gazing at each other. She was certain she could get lost in his eyes given the chance. But today wasn’t the day for that. Andy inhaled as she got control over herself, knowing that they couldn’t waste any time. She stepped to the side to allow him past her. He gave her a nod as he passed, pausing in the foyer. She noticed the box in his hands as she closed the door and faced him.

“Is that it? The magic brew that may save Elena’s life?” She questioned him.

He gave another nod as he held up the box so she could see it more clearly. “It is. I, fortunately, did not have it tucked too far away. Only took a few hours to find again.”

“Was that a part of your original plan? Before you were daggered, I mean. Did you plan to give Elena the potion so she could live?”

“It was something I considered, but I did not want to get anyone’s hopes up,” Elijah admitted as he dropped his arm to his side. “I meant to tell you. I brought your family’s files that Jenna was so kind to lend me. I will retrieve them for you once I speak with Elena.”

“Thank you, Elijah,” Andy breathed a sigh of relief. She had completely forgotten the files if she were being honest. The fact Elijah remembered made her stomach knot again. Why was he making her this nervous? She had never felt this nervous around him before.

“No need for your thanks, Andrea. They were always yours. I should not have taken them, but I also did not expect to be daggered,” Elijah said with a small smile curling at his lips. He hesitated a moment and went to speak, but was interrupted by the sound of someone coming down the stairs. They both looked to see Jenna rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She didn’t notice them until she reached the bottom of the stairs then looked at them sheepishly.

“Oh… hey,” Jenna greeted.

“Nice to see you again, Jenna,” Elijah greeted her.

“You as well…” Jenna looked in between her niece and Elijah with a raised eyebrow before crossing the distance between them. “Where is everyone else?”

“Stefan and Elena are in there,” Andy said, clearing her throat. “We should go to them. To talk about the plan.”

The three of them stood there a moment, all waiting for someone to move. Andy finally gave in and turned, feeling the embarrassment wash over her despite Jenna only seeing her and Elijah speaking. She missed the warning look Jenna shot at Elijah before following her into the room.

“Elijah,” Elena said, standing as the three of them entered the room.

Elijah nodded in greeting as Andy and Jenna both went to stand across the room from Stefan and Elena. Elijah moved to a table and sat the box on it as he spoke. “Tonight is the full moon. We should assume that Klaus is prepared to break the curse,” He said, looking solely at Elena.

“Elena and Andy said that the Sun and the Moon curse is fake? That it's actually just a curse placed on Klaus,” Stefan said as he stood to his feet next to Elena.

“Klaus is a vampire born of a werewolf bloodline. The curse has kept his werewolf aspect from manifesting. But if he breaks it... He'll be a true hybrid.” Elijah said, the worry clear in his eyes. Andy had to wonder what Klaus had done to their family. She made a note to question Elijah about it later, though not to push him into anything he didn’t want.

“Then why are we letting him break the curse?” They all turned as Damon entered the room, a sour look on his face. “We can kill him today. With Bonnie.”

“Damon...” Stefan began but Elena was quick to jump in.

“ _No_. Bonnie can't use that much power without dying.”

Damon scoffed. “I'll write her a great eulogy.”

“It's _not_ an option, Damon,” Elena stated firmly.

“What process is Klaus supposed to break this curse with?” Andy questioned, drawing the attention back to the actual subject.

“Well, the ritual itself is relatively straightforward. The ingredients, so to speak, you already know,” Elijah began explaining.

“The moonstone,” Stefan added.

Elijah nodded. “A witch will channel the power of the full moon to release the spell that's bound within the stone. After that, Klaus, being both werewolf and vampire, will sacrifice one of each.”

“And where do I fit into it?” Elena questioned.

“The final part of the ritual,” Elijah said as he held the box up for them to see. “Klaus must drink the blood of the doppelgänger... to the point of your death.”

Damon looked at Elena with a concerned look. Stefan took Elena's hand and the two exchanged a look as Elijah opened the box and took a jar from it. “And that's where you come in,” Jenna commented, her wary gaze on the box.

“This is an elixir that I acquired some five-hundred years ago for Katerina. It possesses mystical properties of resuscitation,” Elijah explained.

“So I'll be dead?”

“And then you won't,” Elijah glanced over at Andy as he set the jar down on the table.

“That's your plan? A magical witch potion with no expiration date?” Damon demanded before he turned to Elena. “You want to come back to life, what about John's ring?”

“Those rings only work on humans. The doppelgänger's a supernatural occurrence. Odds are, the ring won't work,” Elijah pointed out, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

“I'll take those odds over your elixir,” Damon snapped before focusing back on Elena. “What if it doesn't work, Elena?”

She shrugged in response. “Then I guess I'll just be dead,” Damon looked at Stefan, who shrugged as well. Damon looked at Andy and Jenna, but they both turned away with silent protests. Damon huffed as he glared bitterly at Elijah and stomped out of the room.

“Do we know if Klaus has everything he needs to do this? Does he have a werewolf?” Jenna asked, trying to break the tension.

“Klaus has been waiting to break this curse for over a thousand years. If he doesn't already have a werewolf, my guess is by tonight, he will,” Elijah said.

“At least Tyler left town,” Andy said in relief. “There aren’t any other werewolves around here anymore. He’ll have to go somewhere else for them.”

“Have you heard from him?” Jenna asked her. “Carol has been worried…”

“No, he hasn’t answered any of my calls or texts. Not that I’d expect him to,” Andy replied with a sigh.

“Do you think Damon will try anything to stop this from happening?” Jenna asked, looking over at Stefan.

“Let’s hope he can respect Elena’s decision,” Stefan said hesitantly before he squeezed Elena’s hand. “Let me talk to him.”

As Stefan left the room, Elijah cleared his throat. “Andrea, if I could have a moment alone with you…?”

Andy glanced at Jenna, who was looking at Elijah with a warning look. She nodded to Elijah. “I could use some fresh air,” She answered.

“Hurry back,” Jenna called as they made their way out of the room. Andy glanced back at Jenna and rolled her eyes as she continued walking. They silently made their way outside to the back porch. Andy moved to stand by the edge while Elijah stood a few feet behind her.

“You can imagine my surprise when Elena knew nothing of what you and I had previously discussed,” He commented after a few moments of silence. He moved to stand next to her, his gaze on her. “Most notably of my… family history.”

Andy’s mind flashed back to when he had admitted Nik and Rebekah were his siblings, though he hadn’t informed her Klaus was Nik. She avoided his gaze as she watched a squirrel run up a tree in the front yard. “I guess it didn’t seem like something they needed to know. I figured it was better to assume you meant for me to not say anything to anyone about it,” She looked over at him, seeing he was still watching her intently. “And you didn’t exactly tell me that Klaus was your brother. I had to come to that conclusion myself. Not that Klaus tried to hide that fact at all.”

“What did Niklaus want?” He asked softly.

She exhaled and folded her arms over her chest. “To make it clear he would exact his revenge if we try to stop the sacrifice from happening again…” She swallowed nervously before forcing herself to ask the question that had been worrying her. “Elijah, he’s your brother. I know I’ve been angry with my siblings before but not enough to kill them. I don’t know the details of what occurred between you all but I need to know if you’re going to be able to kill him tonight. I can’t risk Klaus surviving tonight. He would slaughter everyone in Mystic Falls if he knows we were trying to kill him. After what I saw at the Grill I understand how important it is for him to prove he’s everyone’s superior. This is something you can’t hesitate to do. If you _can’t_ do it, that’s _okay_. We will find another way or another person to do it. I don’t want to ask you to do something that you’re not completely certain about or comfortable with.”

“Andrea, I assure you, I won’t hesitate. I appreciate your thoughtfulness, but there has been too much history between us for this not to eventually happen.”

She looked at him with soft eyes. “Which could also be the very thing that causes you to hesitate. There had to be good times.”

“There was, long ago. Niklaus and I have not traveled together for some time. As you know, he was not my only brother. I had siblings; parents. I had a family,” Elijah turned his face to stare into the woods. “Over the centuries, Klaus hunted them down one by one and he took them from me. He scattered them across the seas where their bodies could not be found.”

“I’m-I’m so sorry, Elijah,” Andy murmured. “Maybe… maybe after all this is over we can try to locate them? Surely there has to be some way to find them through a locator spell or something. They can’t just be lost at sea forever. I refuse to believe that.”

Elijah turned to look back at her, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips. “Thank you for the concern, Andy, but that is not something you should trouble yourself with.”

“Why not? You’re helping my family despite the fact they put a dagger in your chest and killed the Martins,” She cringed slightly as she remembered Luka’s burnt corpse. She wondered what they did with Jonas’ body after they killed him. “Why were the Martins working with you anyway?”

“Klaus has Jonas’ daughter, Greta. They wanted to save her,” Elijah explained, causing Andy to feel sad at the thought that they would never see her freed. Luka had died trying to remove the dagger from Elijah, and then Jonas when he was trying to find a way to negotiate for his daughter.

“They deserved better,” Andy whispered before shaking her head. “After all of this is over, what are your plans? Are you… are you planning on leaving Mystic Falls? I figure you don’t write books on small towns in your free time.”

He chuckled and shook his head. “No, I’m afraid that isn’t a hobby of mine. Truthfully, I haven’t thought much about what happens next,” He hesitated a moment, glancing back up at the house before continuing. “Much of my existence has revolved around my family… my brother. Tonight, that ends. Niklaus ends. I have searched many years for my other siblings. I will probably continue with that. I can’t give up on them.”

“If you ever need anything, I’m willing to help. I don’t know how much help I’ll be, but I only work a few nights a week,” Andy said, a smile curling on her face.

“That is if you’re not too busy with schoolwork,” He pointed out.

“Don’t remind me,” She groaned, realizing that even though it was nearing the end of the school year, she still had another year to go before she was done with high school. For Elijah, he had been done with school for many years if his physical appearance indicated anything. “How old are you, really?”

“Isn’t it a bit rude to ask a vampire their age? And dangerous. One may take offense to the question.”

Andy laughed and shook her head. “Fine, don’t tell me. I’ll pretend you’re as old as time. I feel like that’s a good estimate. You’re Father Time in my book now.”

“Give or take a few thousand years,” Elijah commented with a smile of his own before his expression turned serious. “I don’t wish to mislead you, Andrea. That elixir may not save your sister’s life tonight.”

“I know…” Andy sighed and glanced down at the ground. “If it was up to me she wouldn’t take the risk at all. I would be halfway across the country with Jenna, Jeremy, and her. But Klaus would kill everyone else we would be left behind even if he didn’t catch up to us eventually, and Elena knows that. She doesn’t want to see anyone hurt as much as I do. So, for her sake, I’m going to pretend as if this is all okay because it’s not my life. If she dies tonight… I don’t want our last day together to be bitter because of me. I can hate her afterward if she dies.”

Elijah began to speak but abruptly stopped and looked up at the house. “Alaric is here.”

“What?” Andy asked in shock before she began heading back toward the door. Elijah rushed in front of her. He walked in front of her and led them toward the front door where Jenna had a crossbow trained on Alaric… or Klaus? Andy glanced at Elijah in worry. He was standing behind Jenna with his eyes narrowed at the man.

“Jenna, it’s me!” Alaric exclaimed.

“Stay away from me or I’ll shoot you,” Jenna threatened.

“What's going on?” Andy asked as Elena walked in with Stefan and Damon following after her.

Alaric had his hands up, looking at them in worry. “It's me, Andy, I swear, okay? He let me go. Klaus let me go.”

“Prove it,” Damon barked.

Alaric hesitated before looking at Jenna. “Okay, uh, first night you and I spent together, Jeremy walked in right when I was about to—”

“Okay, it's him,” Jenna interrupted with a sheepish look as she lowered the crossbow.

“Why did he let you go?” Stefan questioned.

“He wanted me to deliver a message. The sacrifice happens tonight,” Alaric said, looking over at Elena in worry. “I didn’t even know tonight was a full moon… or that Elijah was back in the picture.” His gaze slipped to the Original who was looking at him with a blank expression.

“Don’t worry, Alaric. Even though you put a dagger in me, I believe that Klaus using you as a puppet was punishment enough,” Elijah commented evenly.

“Maybe you should have a seat,” Andy suggested, pointing to the living room over her shoulder. Alaric nodded and began to walk past but hesitated next to Jenna, who had been avoiding eye contact with him. She turned and walked ahead of him, the others following behind her. Alaric sighed before going with them. Andy had stayed in her spot, watching Damon who had retreated upstairs. She made a note to speak to him after they found out what Alaric knew.

When she joined them in the library, Alaric had taken a seat on the couch across from Jenna and Elena. Stefan stood behind the couch Elena sat on and Elijah stood by the door. Andy stopped beside of him, stealing a quick glance his way to see he had been looking in her direction as well.

“What happened?” Alaric asked as they all settled in. “The last thing I remember is Isobel coming to see me when I was going to pick Jenna up. Then I wake up in my apartment and Klaus is there and he tells me to deliver that message.”

“Klaus took over your body. He was possessing it and used it to gather intel on me,” Elena explained.

“He used to try to kill Bonnie after he found out she had channeled dead witches’ powers,” Andy added. “But she faked her death to make him believe she’s dead. Isobel is currently chained downstairs. Klaus compelled her to kill herself. Then, Elena removed the dagger from Elijah when we got blindsided by Klaus’ puppet act and now we’re up one Original on our side.”

“So you don't remember anything that happened while Klaus was in your body?” Stefan questioned despite Alaric’s paled expression.

He shook his head and swallowed. “No. It's like I blacked out and woke up three days later. Katherine was there.”

“She's under compulsion. Damon snuck her some vervain, but she can't leave until Klaus tells her she can,” Stefan explained.

Glancing around, Elena looked for the Salvatore. “Where _is_ Damon?”

“I saw him go upstairs,” Andy said. Elena stood and left the room. Isobel had been compelled by an Original… which they now had back on their team. She looked over at Elijah. “Klaus compelled Isobel to kill herself. Could you… compel her to not?”

“If she isn’t on vervain, I believe I could reverse it,” Elijah said.

“She isn’t,” Andy turned and headed out of the room with Elijah following closely behind her. They made their way into the basement and into Isobel’s cell, where she was already wide awake and looking at them as they entered.

“How can you be so certain this will work?” Isobel asked, her voice hoarse as Andy stepped to the side to allow Elijah inside.

Elijah wordlessly walked over to Isobel and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look up at him. “You will not remove your daylight ring, stake yourself, or do anything else to end your life,” He hesitated for a split second before he spoke up again. “I want you to forget everything Klaus compelled you to do…” He hesitated before he continued. “I want you to turn your emotions back on.”

Andy looked at Elijah in shock at the last thing he had compelled her to do. How did he know she had her humanity turned off? And why would he force her to? There was no guarantee she had her humanity off, she might just be a terrible person.

Turning her attention back to Isobel, Andy watched as the brunette’s eyes began to water. She dropped her head so they couldn’t see her expression. Elijah stood straight up but otherwise didn’t move from his spot in front of her. Finally, Isobel raised her head and looked right at Andy.

“I am so, so sorry, Andy,” She said, her voice wavering. Andy stared back in uncertainty, not sure if she should believe Isobel. Isobel didn’t have any jewelry with vervain on or none of it in her system. Still, she wasn’t certain if she should believe the woman after everything.

“I’ll be back later,” Andy stated before she rushed out of the room and out of the basement. Pausing in the hallway, she did her best to catch her breath and gather her thoughts.

“Andrea…”

She turned to see Elijah standing there. “Why did you compel her to turn her humanity back on?”

“Perhaps it was time for her to feel again,” Elijah said softly. “Elena may want to speak with her. She will be more open to talking.”

“I can assure you either of us don’t want to talk to her,” Andy said sharply before she paused. She closed her eyes and exhaled, shaking her head. “Excuse me. I just… It’s not your fault. Thank you for doing that.”

Andy turned and walked away from him, processing that she had asked a vampire to compel someone and hadn’t second-guessed her request. Then again, she had only asked Elijah compel Isobel to not kill herself. She didn’t ask him to compel her to turn her humanity on. Isobel had voluntarily turned her humanity off if it even was off in the first place. Elijah took that choice away from her. Even if she was terrible without her humanity, that should have been a choice she made herself.

As she made it to the stairs, Andy heard shouting from upstairs and banging noises. Alaric and Jenna came rushing from the living room, worry etched on their expressions.

“What is going on?” Andy asked them.

“Stefan ran off. Damon must have done something…” Alaric explained. Andy turned to the stairs and rushed up to them, Alaric and Jenna close on her heels. They followed the sounds and came to a stop in Damon’s room. Stefan was on the ground, a wooden stick stabbed into his stomach. Elena stood in between him and Damon, who was seething as he glared at his younger brother.

“Get out of here!” Elena snapped at Damon.

“What the hell's going on?” Alaric questioned.

“Get him out of here!” Elena said, as she bent down next to Stefan and put her hands on his shoulder.

Alaric went toward Damon but he pushed him before he stomped out of the room. Jenna looked at Stefan’s bloodied torso in shock. “Oh, my _god_ ,” She breathed out.

“Andy, downstairs are some blood bags. Will you go grab a couple?” Alaric asked her. She nodded before rushing out of the room. She made her way to the freezer in the basement and grabbed a couple blood bags. As she was making her way back upstairs, she ran into Elijah who was leaving with the wooden box in his hands.

“Are you leaving?” She asked him, her brow furrowing.

“Yes, there are some matters I should attend to,” He said.

“Are you going to leave that here?”

“No, it will do Elena no good now,” He answered. When she looked at him in confusion he continued speaking. “Damon forced her to drink his blood. If anything, she will come back as a vampire. This elixir can’t help reverse that.”

Andy’s jaw dropped. She had assumed if Elena wanted to become a vampire, she would have mentioned it. _Damon forced her_ _to drink his blood_. He had taken that choice away from her. That explained why Stefan and he had fought.

“I should, uh, get back up there,” She said, holding up the blood. “I’ll… see you later?”

“Of course,” He said with a nod. She watched him a moment longer before turning and heading up the stairs. She glanced back to see him opening the door, catching his gaze one more time before he disappeared behind the door.

* * *

“I can’t believe Damon would do that,” Andy murmured as she rode in the car with Alaric and Jenna down the road.

“I don’t think Damon thought he’d do it either,” Alaric admitted with a sigh. They were on their way to go to Damon, who had they assumed had fled to the Grill, and make sure he didn’t mess with the sacrifice anymore. Stefan and Elena had gone to spend the rest of the day together. Andy wished she would have been able to spend more time with her sister, but now since they knew tomorrow Elena would be a vampire, she wanted to let Elena have some time to come to terms with it. Stefan was the person who could help with that, not her.

“I am going to stab him,” Jenna interjected. “But at the same time… this way Elena won’t really die. But this isn't what she wanted and I don’t want her to be a vampire. Is there no way to get the blood out of her system?”

“At this point? No, there’s not a way I’m aware of,” Alaric sighed. Andy watched from the backseat as Jenna reached for his hand. They exchanged a smile before looking forward. Andy smiled and looked away, happy that they were together. She had seen them kiss before they left and assumed that at least for today everything was good between them.

Once they got to the Grill, Alaric went to go sit with Damon at the bar while Jenna and Andy sat at a table nearby. They figured that it would be best for Damon to speak with his best friend rather than two women who were pissed at him for what he did to Elena.

“Ladies? Why so glum?”

Andy felt her blood freeze at the voice. She had assumed because Klaus let Alaric go, he would have gotten his body back. Still, as she turned to look at him in his buttoned-up, red shirt and short hair, she felt a jolt rush through her. His blue eyes were exactly as she had seen, as were every other detail of his pearl-white face. His hair was cut short enough that she couldn’t see the curls. _This_ was Klaus.

“Klaus…” Andy said in surprise before gathering her composure. She stood and put herself in front of Jenna, scowling at him as he smiled back at her. His dimples were more prominent than she had realized. “What are you doing here?” She demanded, clutching onto the table. The last time he had been in here people had died.

Klaus glanced at Jenna before he looked back up to Andy. “I actually came to speak with Damon. It was just a coincidence you happened to be here, love,” He looked back at Jenna. “Hello, Jenna. I’m afraid tonight I can’t save any dances for you. Perhaps next time?”

“Not interested,” Jenna said as she stood much to Andy’s chagrin. She wanted Jenna to stay as far away from Klaus after his threats toward her yesterday.

Klaus turned back to Andy, gesturing to himself. “So, what do you think, love? You are a wonderful artist. You weren’t far off with your drawings of me. Is there a true likeness in your opinion?”

“I would prefer not to see you at all,” Andy replied dryly. Klaus tilted his head and began to speak when Damon and Alaric approached. The elder Salvatore did not hesitate to interrupt the Original.

“Klaus, I presume,” Damon said.

Klaus flashed an annoyed look before looking over at the men. “In the flesh,” He glanced at Alaric with a smile. “Thanks for the loaner, mate.”

Damon stared back angrily. “Any reason you stopped by to say hi?”

“I'm told you and your brother fancy my doppelgänger. Just thought I'd remind you to not do anything you'll regret,” Klaus explained, his smile dropping off of his face as a darker look replaced it.

Damon broke into a smile at the irony of the comment. The other three had to stop themselves from rolling their eyes at the two. “Ha. Thanks for the advice. I don't suppose I could talk you into a postponement, by any chance, huh?”

“You are kidding?” Klaus looked over at Andy with an eyebrow raised. “He _is_ kidding, right?”

“No, not really,” Andy stated with a sigh.

“I mean, come on, what's one month in the whole grand scheme of things?” Damon asked, drawing Klaus’ attention back toward him.

“Let me be clear...” Klaus took a step toward Damon, his voice lowering as he held the Salvatore’s gaze. “I have my vampire. I have my werewolf. I have everything I need. The ritual will happen tonight. So, if you want to live to see tomorrow, don't screw it up.” He turned to look at Andy and Jenna, though his gaze lingered on Andy. “Goodnight, ladies.”

They watched as Klaus crossed the room and left the Grill. They all let out a collective breath of relief that a fight hadn’t broken out in the middle of the restaurant. “That was fun,” Damon mumbled.

“You're going to screw it up, aren't you?” Alaric asked.

Damon looked at them, his expression serious. “You think if I took his werewolf out of the equation, she might... get over the fact that I tried to turn her into a vampire?”

Jenna snorted at him. “I think it won't matter because you'll be dead.”

“But without the werewolf, he can't perform the ritual tonight, which means I would have bought her one month before the next full moon,” Damon pointed out.

“And you'll still be dead,” Alaric said in agreement with Jenna.

“Are you guys going help me or what?” Damon asked.

Alaric, Andy, and Jenna all three exchanged a look before Alaric turned back to Damon with their answer. “What do you want us to do?”

* * *

“Look who's dumb enough to come back,” Katherine commented as she watched the door swing open to Alaric, who stayed in the doorway.

“Well, somebody had to invite him in. Damon. Would you like to, uh, come in?” Alaric said, stepping to the side.

Damon waltzed in and she rushed over to him. “Are you trying to get me killed?” She demanded as Andy walked into the apartment as well, though Jenna stopped next to Alaric.

Damon pushed Katherine against the wall. “I gave you vervain, now I'm here to collect. I got it from here, Ric.”

“You sure?” Alaric asked.

“Yeah, only one of us needs to get blamed for this. Take them with you. Get back in the house. Keep Elena from handing herself over,” Damon said.

“I’m staying,” Andy announced. She looked over at Jenna. “I can help Damon. You go help Alaric. Don’t worry, he won’t let anyone get me.”

“Okay,” Alaric said with a nod. Jenna hesitated but gave Andy a nod before they left the apartment.

“Get blamed for what?” Katherine asked warily.

“I need to know where Klaus is keeping his werewolf,” Damon said as he released his grasp on Katherine and took a few steps back.

“Why? What are you going to do?” Katherine questioned with a furrowed brow.

“Dead werewolf equals no ritual,” He pointed out.

Katherine shook her head in fear. “No. You can't interfere, Damon. Klaus will kill you and everyone you've ever met.”

“We just need to delay it, not stop it,” Andy said, folding her arms over her chest.

“No. No _way_.”

“You should like this. It's going to buy another month of your pathetic life,” Damon stated.

Katherine scoffed. “Right. Except that _I'm_ not the vampire he's planning on sacrificing.”

“What?” Damon and Andy both asked at the same time.

“Yeah. He's got Caroline Forbes and Tyler Lockwood. Therefore, I'm in the clear,” Katherine said in satisfaction.

“Tyler?” Andy questioned in shock. How had Klaus gotten his hands on him? “He left town… How did Klaus find him?”

“And where'd he get that idea from?” Damon prompted as he walked toward her.

The vampire held her hands up in innocence. “Hey! Hey, hey, hey, I'm just trying to stay alive long enough to get myself out of here.”

“What if I told you Elena had vampire blood in her system?” Damon shot out.

Katherine paused in horror. “ _What_?!”

“Imagine how much fun that will be competing with Elena for Stefan's love for, I don't know, forever,” Damon said mockingly, a fake smile on his face.

“The tomb. He's got them in the tomb.”

“ _Thank you_ ,” Damon said as he turned to leave. Andy hesitated as he headed toward the door. A part of her knew she would only slow Damon down if she went along with him. She could be more useful here… where she could distract Klaus. “Andy, hello? We need to go _now_. It’s only a couple hours before sunset and we need to get your ex-boyfriend the hell away from Mystic Falls.”

“Let me stay here,” Andy begun. He started to argue but she cut him off. “Damon, Klaus is going to know someone was here. Let it be me. I’ll keep his attention while you go get them. I’ll only slow you down.”

“And let Klaus kidnap you as well? I’ve made one mistake today, I’m not making another.”

“You know who isn’t going to let him keep me here and I don’t think Klaus is going to keep me under house arrest again,” Andy said, hoping that Katherine didn’t catch on that she was referring to Elijah. Damon sighed before glancing over at Katherine.

“Fine but if you’re wrong, I’m going to kill you myself. I’ll call your white knight,” Damon said, giving her a frustrated look. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

“I know what I’m doing, you dick. Now _go_. We don’t have much time.” Damon hesitated another moment before he sped away. Andy walked over and closed the door before turning to look at Katherine, who was had taken a seat on the couch. She was watching Andy in curiosity as the human glanced around the room for something she could use in defense against Klaus. However, upon walking around and looking closely, Andy saw that it was all of Alaric’s research on vampires. She wondered why Klaus had been reading through them.

“I am curious what you’ll say to Klaus,” Katherine commented. Andy stopped walking and turned to look at the vampire.

“Hopefully you can keep your mouth shut and not mess up whatever I come up with,” Andy said harshly before sighing. She ran a hand through her hair and took a seat at one of the stools at the kitchen island. In all honesty, she didn’t even have a plan to distract Klaus and was coming up empty-handed.

“The dagger’s been removed from Elijah, hasn’t it?” Andy didn’t respond; instead, she fixated on the light switch, wondering if by switching it off she could shut Katherine off as well. When Andy didn’t say anything, Katherine stood and crossed the room. “Milena had a soft spot for Elijah too. It nearly got me killed.”

“How so?” She questioned, looking at the vampire with feigned disinterest. However, she was rather curious about what she had to say.

“She had blinders on when it came to him. She didn’t notice the things I did,” Katherine moved to around the other side of the counter. “She was so concerned what he thought of us… of _her_. She wanted him to see her as desirable no matter what because she wanted him.”

“What’s wrong with that? Maybe she loved him,” Andy suggested with a shrug.

“We once made a promise to one another that we wouldn’t marry until the other found a suitor. But from what I saw, I’m sure if Elijah had asked her to, she would have jumped at the opportunity. She was prepared to marry him, she told me as much. Despite me not caring for Klaus, who clearly liked _her_ , who was courting me. Then my other choice was Trevor but I could never be with him. Anyways, her feelings lasted up until she found out why we had been invited to stay with such high lords,” Katherine moved to the cabinets and pulled out a box of coffee.

“How did she find out?” Andy asked.

“Elijah ended up spilling the beans. She walked in on him feeding and he decided it was wiser to explain everything to her, including this ‘magical elixir’ that could save my life and give Klaus the thing he wanted more than anything in this world: breaking the curse.”

Andy quieted for a moment, seeing the bitter look in Katherine’s eyes. “What happened next?”

“We came up with a plan. While I fled, Milena would stay behind and distract Klaus. Elijah had been busy with some work for the estate that night. From my understanding, Milena used Klaus’ attraction for her to her advantage,” Katherine turned to look at Andy with a smirk. “I wonder if you’ll play the same angle. Though, for her, it ended in her heart being torn from her chest. I don’t think I would recommend that method. No reason for both doppelgangers to die tonight.”

Andy turned her head away from Katherine’s gaze as the vampire began making the coffee. Elijah hadn’t spoken much of Milena, if even at all. She had only heard him speak of Anastasia. She wondered how he was able to love different people who looked similar to one another. Wasn’t it hard not to get them confused for one another? Perhaps that’s why he was more open with Andy if she reminded him enough of one of the others. Katherine said Milena had a soft spot for Elijah, not the other way around. However, why would Elijah have wanted to save Katherine’s life if he didn’t truly care about at least one of the Petrovas?

“I hope you have a plan,” Katherine said, echoing Damon’s thoughts from earlier. “Because he’s about to walk through that door.” Within a minute, the front door opened and Klaus came waltzing in, quickly closing it behind him as his gaze settled on Andy and Katherine.

“Everything okay?” Katherine asked him.

Klaus looked between the two of them, narrowing his eyes. “To what do I owe the pleasure, Andy? I had not expected any visitors.”

“I think we need to talk,” Andy said, glancing back at Katherine briefly. Klaus paused and turned his head to the side, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Katherine as well. She hadn’t really had time to think of a plan with Katherine talking. A part of her suspected that Katherine had intended it that way.

“What have you two been doing?” He questioned.

“Making coffee. Do you want some?” She replied as innocently as she could manage.

Klaus rushed over to Katherine, grabbing her by the throat and compelling her. “Tell me what you've been doing.”

“Making coffee and talking about my sister,” Katherine said. He finally released her and she turned around, gasping and holding her neck. Andy swallowed and watched them warily. She didn’t want to tip Klaus off but knew her heart was pounding in her chest.

“Wait. Take off your bracelet,” Klaus ordered. She took it off and gave it to him. “Now, I want you... to walk over to the window and stand in the sunlight.”

“But she’ll burn,” Andy said, her brow furrowing.

Klaus glanced back at Andy with his eyebrows raised. “ _She_ doesn't have a choice,” Katherine looked at Andy before going over to stand in the sunlight. Immediately the side of her face exposed to the sunlight started to burn, filling the room with a nauseating smell as her screams were released. Andy looked away in disgust to see Klaus watching the vampire burn with a smile.

“Klaus, she’s telling the truth,” Andy said, gritting her teeth. “ _Please_.”

Klaus allowed it to continue for a moment longer before he put a stop to it. As soon as he said the words, Katherine rushed over to the corner of the room in the shadows. He turned to Andy with a satisfied look. “Now what are we to do with you?”

“I-I need you to delay the sacrifice another month.”

Klaus rolled his eyes and walked past her. “Why should I expect any less from you, the doppelganger barking at Damon’s feet? Tell me, do you do all of his dirty work?”

“I don’t give a shit what Damon says. I’m asking you because I don’t want you to use Tyler Lockwood in the sacrifice,” Andy took a step toward Klaus as he turned to face her completely with his eyes narrowed.

“And why should I spare the Lockwood boy’s life?”

“Because I’ve known him all my life,” Andy replied, not wanting to play the sappy romance card. That boat had long sailed for her and Tyler.

“He’s her ex-boyfriend,” Katherine added as she made her way to the kitchen to continue the coffee. “Her first love from my understanding.”

Klaus raised his eyebrows and turned to look at her again. Andy rolled her eyes and folded her arms over her chest. “There have to be a million other werewolves you can use. You’ve waited so long to break this curse, why is another month in the grand scheme of things? Much to everyone’s chagrin, Elena isn’t going to run while she knows you’re a homicidal maniac. Please, Klaus. We’ve done everything you’ve asked. Why do you need to kill Tyler?”

Klaus took a few steps toward her. “Say I do delay the sacrifice. What’s to stop me from doing whatever I want in your little town for the next month? No restrictions or anyone to keep me in check. I imagine the body total would cause many to move away. You may find yourself wishing I hadn’t delayed it.”

Andy swallowed and glanced away for a moment. She exhaled and shook her head before turning to meet his gaze again. She wouldn’t back down from him, not now. “Elena’s done _everything_ you asked. She hasn’t tried to run. The most any of us did was let Bonnie channel some dead witches to get enough juice to kill you, but even then, you took care of that. We have been sitting around waiting for the moment you come to take Elena away from us. You let two dozen innocent people beat and slaughter one another just to prove a point. Why must you continue to prove it? We get it, you’re big and bad and could slaughter us in our sleep. We’re all acutely aware of your presence now,” She clenched her fists and closed the distance between them, maintaining eye contact with him. “Spare Tyler, _please_. We haven’t messed with your stupid sacrifice. Tyler hasn’t messed with your stupid sacrifice. He knows nothing about any of this. He’s innocent. Let him go and I’ll help you find another werewolf myself.”

“You are rather convincing, love,” Klaus said, his voice low as he stood over her. “However, as you said, I’ve waited long enough. The sacrifice _will_ happen tonight. Tyler is a reminder that even after Elena has died, you lot would be wise not to seek retribution. Any further slaughter would be rather pointless in my opinion. Not all of you are annoying. Though I do admit I considered using Damon tonight.”

“You must be rather lonely, aren’t you?” She said, causing him to look at her in shock for a moment before narrowing his eyes. “Elijah told me all about how you two are brothers. About how you hunted your family down and scattered them across the oceans. He was willing to kill you, even after all this time of not seeing one another. That means you’ve been on your own for quite some time and considering you became a recluse that everyone thought you were a myth, I can imagine you have any friends that you don’t compel if I had to guess.”

“That is enough,” Klaus said, his tone low and threatening. “I have killed men for much less than the way you are speaking to me. I suggest you stop while I still have some mercy left in me.”

“Mercy? You’ve undoubtedly killed thousands over your existence. I would be surprised if you even knew the concept of mercy,” Andy snapped. She wasn’t certain why she was feeling so emboldened now, but it probably had something to do with Elijah telling her Klaus wouldn’t hurt her unless provoked. Though she was beginning to wonder if she was tiptoeing the line

“How old are you again, love? Just seventeen, correct?” He questioned as he moved closer to her. “My definition of mercy may differ from yours, but know that tonight you will see just how merciful I am. My first act of mercy for the night is not using you as the vampire in the sacrifice. No, I believe I have just the person in mind for that role.”

“Klaus, please—”

“There is that word. _Please_. You know you are desperate, otherwise, you wouldn’t have come to me in the first place. First, you ask something of me and when I refuse you turn to insults. Now realizing that you have no power in this situation, you turn to begging. It’s not a becoming look on you, Andy. I expected far more,” Klaus clicked his tongue a couple times as he moved over to Katherine to grab one of the cups of coffee she was making. “And I believed you had quite the fight in you. Quite a shame.”

Andy remained quiet for a moment, closing her eyes and exhaling. This was a lot harder than she thought it was going to be. She wasn’t certain how much longer she should keep this up so Damon could free Caroline and Tyler. The only thing stopping her from leaving is Klaus checking to make sure the two were there as soon as she left. Hopefully, she was playing it well enough that she wasn’t raising any suspicion. Then again, as soon as she left, what was to stop Katherine from spilling the beans? Especially if Klaus threatened her life again, Katherine would reveal anything she had to.

“Cat got your tongue, love?” Andy knew she was already tempting fate, but she was curious if Klaus would do anything to stop her. She turned and walked toward the door, stopping in satisfaction as he spoke up from behind her. “Usually the person will offer me something in exchange for what they want.”

“I have nothing to offer you, nor will I,” Andy said as she continued walking toward the door. She reached out to grab the doorknob when he suddenly sped up next to her.

“And you’re certain of that?”

She scoffed and shook her head. “I’m not touching you even if you gave me a hazmat suit.”

He rolled his eyes. “I wouldn’t force a woman into anything. You would come on your own accord or I would just move on with my day. In the grand scheme of things, humans don’t mean anything,” He replied. “But a doppelganger’s blood is powerful, especially as a human. There _are_ uses for you.”

“You are going to kill my sister tonight and now you’re wanting to take me away from the remaining family I have left… to be used as some blood bank for magic,” Andy said slowly, furrowing her brows at him. “You really don’t realize how stupid you can be sometimes, do you?” She pushed past him and opened the door, hoping Damon had enough time to get Caroline and Tyler out of the tomb. Hopefully, by the time Klaus found out, they would be long gone.

“I will give your regards to your sister, Tyler, and Caroline tonight.”

Andy paused in the doorway and looked back at him with a blank expression. “It’s becoming clearer why Elijah wanted you dead. I can’t say I blame him.” With that, she turned and slammed the door behind her. She rushed out of the apartment complex, seeing that the sun had set and the sky was quickly darkening. She needed to get back quickly.

“Cutting it rather close, aren’t we?” She looked over to see Elijah standing there in front of a car, leaning against it as he held his coat in his arms. She sighed in relief before glancing worriedly up at the apartments. Klaus couldn’t know that Elijah was back. “Don’t worry. He is focused on Katerina,” He opened his car door with a half-smile. “Shall we?”

**_~ * • ° • ° • * ~_ **


	17. Pawn Sacrifice

**_Poison & Wine - Chapter XVII_ **

**_~ * • ° • ° • * ~_ **

“How did you know where to find me?” Andy asked, looking over at the Original. He was heading toward where the others were staying at the Old Witch House where Emily Bennett and the other witches had been burned centuries before.

“Damon informed me you had gone to see my brother. I am not stupid enough to believe you actually convinced him to postpone the sacrifice,” Elijah answered.

“No… it was more of a distraction,” She admitted, causing him to look over at her in confusion. “Klaus has Caroline Forbes and Tyler Lockwood. He’s using them for the sacrifice. Damon went to go free them while I kept him distracted.”

“Well, you certainly distracted him,” Elijah murmured, giving her a firm look.

“I didn’t have a choice, Elijah. He was going to kill them. I didn’t really have any other reason to be there. If I had talked about anything else, he would have known what Damon was doing, and my friends would have died,” She pointed out.

“But you could have died as well. I don’t believe I have seen anyone live through speaking to him like that.”

“He doesn’t scare me. What he is willing to do scares me,” Andy said, sitting back in the seat. She looked out of the windshield, her stomach flipping at the thought of Elena being sacrificed tonight. “And you told me he wouldn’t hurt me, not unless I really tested him. Besides, if this all goes down right now, then it doesn’t matter how I spoke to him.”

They sat in silence for a moment before Elijah looked over at her. “I won’t fail you, Andrea. Niklaus will die once the ritual is complete. I give you my word.”

Andy looked over at him, studying him closely. He seemed serious, but a part of Andy couldn’t help but worry. What if he ended up hesitating? One moment of hesitation could ruin the entire plan. This was his brother after all.

“Has he always been like this?” She asked softly. He glanced over at her briefly.

“No. There was a time when we were happy when we were human. I’m afraid our transition changed many things about all of my family,” Elijah explained, a dark look falling over his face. “And for some, like my father, it somehow made him worse.”

“How were you turned?” She prompted. She didn’t want to talk about his father. She had seen enough of him in her dreams for a lifetime. “I mean, you _were_ human once. You were turned someway. But you’re Originals, much stronger than regular vampires. I don’t understand how you came about.”

Elijah hesitated, his hands clenching the steering wheel tighter. “We should focus on the sacrifice. Come tomorrow, we can have this conversation. It is a long one and something I don’t believe I am ready to discuss.”

Andy nodded. “If you’re comfortable with it, I’d love that,” She reached out and put a hand on his arm, causing him to look over at her in surprise. “I want you to know I’m serious about helping you find your family. I know it’s not any of my concern, but Isobel is a seasoned researcher. She found Klaus. If I ask, we can have her help us. If you don’t want her help, then we can find another way. I want you to be reunited with them, Elijah. They’re your family. You don’t deserve to be alone.”

Elijah smiled wearily at her. “We will discuss this later.” The look in his eyes indicated that there was something he was holding back, but she didn’t want to push him further. She leaned back in her seat and removed her hand from him.

Within minutes they had arrived at the house. Bonnie and Jeremy were waiting inside, while Stefan and Alaric were waiting out front. Elijah and Andy approached them, earning a questioning look from the other two.

“Klaus has already taken Elena,” Stefan announced as they got closer. Andy inhaled sharply, upset Elena hadn’t called before she allowed Klaus to take her. None of them knew what tonight would bring and even though Elena might be a vampire tomorrow, it would have been nice to speak with her before she was led to her death. Even if Klaus delayed the sacrifice, she would be stuck with him. He would keep her hidden away from all of them and then she wouldn’t have vampire blood in her system next time he tried to break the curse.

“How is this ritual going down?” Andy asked, turning to Elijah.

“The sacrifice is completed in stages as the full moon sets. First, the werewolf is killed, then the vampire. Finally, the doppelgänger. Once Elena dies, the curse will be broken. Klaus will become a hybrid,” Elijah explained.

“So when do we attack?” Alaric questioned.

Elijah glanced at Andy before continuing. “Elena's death will activate his dormant werewolf side. He'll be vulnerable during the transformation. That's when Bonnie comes in.”

“And you're _sure_ Bonnie will survive this?” Stefan asked.

“If she can deliver him to the brink of death, I'll finish the job myself,” Elijah affirmed. Stefan's phone began to ring. As he answered it, he walked away from them.

“Damon,” He paused for a moment, causing Andy’s heart to pound in her chest. She had only left Klaus less than a half hour ago. “Cut to the chase. Is the sacrifice happening or not?” He sighed at Damon’s response. “We're sticking with the original plan. We're meeting Bonnie right now… _What_?”

Beside her, Andy saw Elijah stiffen. “What is he saying?” She demanded, grabbing Elijah’s arm. However, he looked away from her with his jaw clenched as Stefan looked back at them, worry etched on his face.

“What’s going on?” Alaric asked, furrowing his brows.

“Oh, my god,” Stefan breathed into the phone. “Just… get here as fast as you can.”

“Stefan, what is going on?” Andy said as she walked toward him. He hung up his phone and looked at her, the sadness in his eyes.

“Andy… I’m so sorry,” He said softly, avoiding her gaze.

“What is it, Stefan? Just spit it out,” She snapped, growing agitated at the delay.

“Klaus took Jenna. He’s… he’s going to use her as the vampire in the sacrifice since Damon saved Caroline and Tyler,” Stefan answered, his gaze finally meeting hers.

Andy felt as if she had been slapped across the face. _Jenna_. Jenna was going to be sacrificed along with Elena, except she wouldn’t make it out alive. Klaus was using Jenna because Damon and Andy meddled in his plans. He must have known Andy was a distraction, why else would he choose Jenna? It was punishment because she didn’t stay in line when he commanded. Now Jenna was going to die. All because Andy had listened to Damon that this was a sound plan. Jenna wasn’t even a vampire but that didn’t matter to Klaus. All he cared about was breaking the curse.

“Andy…” Alaric began, putting a hand on her shoulder.

“Someone needs to tell Jeremy,” Andy said stiffly, doing her best to stop the tears she felt were rising in her. She wanted to put on a brave face, but the sudden realization she would be losing the aunt who had been a mother figure and friend to her all her life shook her to her core. If Klaus sacrificed Jenna, then the only parental figures left in her life were John and Isobel… Isobel, who wanted to die this morning before Elijah compelled her otherwise. Isobel had asked to be handed over to Klaus in the sacrifice. Had she known Klaus would choose someone they loved to be used in the sacrifice?

“I-I’ll do it,” Alaric said softly before he headed inside.

“Andy, we aren’t going to let her die,” Stefan said firmly.

“This is because of me,” Andy spoke aloud but it was to herself. She stared hard at the ground, her mind reeling. How could she even stop the sacrifice now? She wasn’t strong enough to stop Klaus from doing what he wanted even if she had a replacement.

“No, this is Klaus. Not you,” He said, putting a hand on her shoulder. “We’ll find an alternative to offer him, okay? I’ll take her place.”

“Klaus isn’t going to allow that,” Andy said, her tone harsh. “This is a punishment. Because I spoke back to him, because I threw his family in his face and because I helped Damon,” She exhaled and shook her head. “Elena doesn’t want you to die either, Stefan. Maybe… maybe I could—”

“Out of the question,” Elijah said, causing Andy to look back at him. “I heard your conversation with Klaus. He already told you that he wouldn’t use you for the sacrifice. You will not hand yourself over like that.”

The two of them stared one another down for a long moment before Andy finally sighed and ran a hand through her hair. She swallowed back the tears threatening to overcome her. She didn’t want Stefan, Damon, or Caroline to die, but there wasn’t anyone to take Jenna’s place. No one except for Isobel of course. Isobel who now had no reason to want to die. Isobel was the only option and Klaus had wanted her dead.

“Then I hand over Isobel,” Andy announced, turning to leave. Elijah caught her arm as she turned.

“Klaus won’t make a trade, Andrea. He will kill Isobel and sacrifice Jenna.” He said, his hazel brown eyes reflecting… worry? Andy swallowed and stared at him with a determined look.

“Jenna’s _my_ family, Elijah. I won’t let her die. You understand more than anyone where I am coming from,” She said, putting her hand over his and squeezing it tightly. “Klaus will make a deal if I ask for one.”

“He will make you leave town. You will never see your family again. He will use you for whatever he wants,” Elijah said thickly.

“At least they will be alive,” Andy pulled away from him. She looked in between Stefan and Elijah with a stern expression. “This is _my_ choice. This is the only way that Jenna is going to survive the night. Let me go.”

“Elena will—”

“Elena will have Jenna,” Andy cut Stefan off, throwing him a reassuring smile. “And you, Damon, and Caroline,” She looked at Elijah with a somber expression. She reached into her pocket and squeezed the little chess piece in her hand. “If you kill Klaus, then I don’t have to do hold whatever deal he offers. Please end this,” She walked over to him and grabbed his hand, slipping the chess piece into his hand before she squeezed his hand tightly. “I’ll see you after all of this is over.”

Stepping away, she turned and hurried away from them before they could stop her. She would only have one shot to convince Isobel. If she couldn’t, then she would have no choice but to force Isobel to be a part of the sacrifice.

* * *

“You missed all of the fun…” Andy stared at Isobel, who was sitting in the same place as earlier with her hands bound and sweaty forehead.

“Klaus has Elena. He’s going to perform the sacrifice tonight,” Andy said as she walked over to Isobel. “I’m sure you heard Damon fed her his blood. She’ll come back as a vampire.”

“I also heard Klaus taking Jenna,” Isobel admitted.

Andy paused, realizing the “fun” was Klaus kidnapping Jenna. “You didn’t think of informing anyone?”

“No one was around,” Isobel shrugged. “Don’t exactly have a phone.”

Andy watched her closely for a moment. She still had the same blank look as always in her eyes. “Did you ever have your humanity off?”

“No, but I thought it would be better than saying that in front of Elijah,” Isobel said with a sigh before she shifted her weight. “I _did_ mean my words earlier, Andy. I am sorry. I haven’t cared for anything in such a long time. Not even an Original’s compulsion can bring that back.”

Andy hesitated a moment before speaking. There was no use in beating around the bush anymore. “I need a replacement for Jenna in the sacrifice. I can’t let her die, Isobel.”

Isobel’s gaze bored to the floor. She remained silent for a long moment before her gaze snapped back up to her daughter’s face. “You want that replacement to be me. Are you giving me a choice or telling me I’m going to die tonight?”

Andy did her best to steel herself to tell Isobel that she would be dying tonight. But she couldn’t, not even to this woman who she had never had a desire to meet or speak to. Instead, she stepped forward with the knife she had grabbed to cut Isobel’s bindings. She walked over to Isobel and cut her arm open, cringing at the act. She knew that Stefan or Elijah wouldn’t have let her out of their sight if they knew this was her backup plan, but she was hoping that Isobel might at least try to stop her from doing this. As she leaned in the drink the blood, Isobel’s voice stopped her.

“Andy, _don’t_ ,” Isobel’s voice was full of anger and… concern? Andy paused and looked into her green eyes. “Vampire blood doesn’t heal you. What makes you think it will turn you? Or that Klaus will take you as a replacement?”

“I have to do something, Isobel. I can’t let Jenna die,” Andy said with a frown. She exhaled and shook her head. “I’m going to have to take that chance.”

“Andy—” Before Isobel could do anything else, Andy had cut her again and drank her blood. The metallic taste caused her nose to scrunch but she only needed a little before she stood and turned to the door, resisting the urge to throw up the foul-tasting liquid.

“Let me take Jenna’s place.”

Andy paused, feeling the guilt rush through her already. Isobel had claimed she had no humanity, to begin with, but Andy had taken the gamble that she would stop if it meant one of her children was going to die permanently. “And why should I believe you? For all I know you’ll run the moment I cut your bindings off.”

“Because Elijah’s compulsion didn’t work at all. Damon had been giving me vervain for days and I still feel the aching sensation of Klaus’ compulsion telling me to kill myself,” Isobel said, causing her to turn to look at Isobel with a furrowed brow. Which meant Isobel may have humanity, but Elijah’s compulsion wouldn’t have brought it back because of the vervain. Still, for some reason, Andy didn’t want to believe her.

“I’m supposed to just believe you?” Andy asked.

“You don’t have much of a choice right now. Jenna will be dead soon and even if you survive you won’t have enough time to transition before he has to sacrifice her,” Isobel pointed out. “It’s a lot better than trying to manipulate me.”

Andy sighed, closing her eyes as she considered the mistake she could be making. Isobel knew that Andy’s entire reason for drinking the blood was to get Isobel to be the one to die tonight. She knew Andy was backed into a corner like Klaus had. She knew that Andy didn’t have any other way to fix this. Andy was stupid enough to think that Isobel hadn’t seen through her entire trick.

Opening her eyes, Andy wanted to believe Isobel was being earnest, but she was so afraid that this would backfire. Maybe it would, but she didn’t have many other options. Before she could second guess herself, Andy walked over to Isobel and cut the bindings off. Isobel sped off immediately, causing Andy to groan in frustration. She was stupid to believe that Isobel would have actually gone through with this.

As she turned to leave, her phone buzzed with a message from Stefan informing her that Bonnie had done the locator spell and that Elena and Jenna were at Steven’s Quarry. She turned the corner and saw Isobel was at the freezer of blood bags, on her third one if the empty bags by her feet were any indicator. She turned to look at Andy with an eyebrow raised.

“I was thirsty,” She said before tossing the blood bag to the ground. “Well, we are we off to?”

* * *

“Hello, Jenna,” Klaus said as he approached the ring of fire containing Jenna. One part of the sacrifice had already been completed, with the werewolf’s dead body resting right on the altar where Klaus had torn her heart out. Now all was left was the vampire and doppelganger sacrifice, the former which was quickly approaching.

The blonde looked up in fear, causing his smile to broaden. She hadn’t been his first choice for the vampire sacrifice, but after Andy had been stupid enough to try to mess with the sacrifice, he decided to teach her a lesson. He had kidnapped her a few days ago and shown her what he could do at the Grill for a reason. He had no intention of directly punishing her until she showed him her involvement all by herself. To think if she had not even shown up at the apartment he wouldn’t have known she was involved with Damon’s scheme. Perhaps he would have chosen someone else, but he had to admit the symmetry of three women was perfect.

Jenna and Elena both stood up in the separate circles of fire and look at Klaus. “Let her go. I understand that I have to die, but she doesn't!” Elena exclaimed as walked closer to the flames, causing them to flare up. She retreated back and continued glaring at him through the flames.

“Careful,” Klaus warned. The last thing he needed was the doppelganger to get third-degree burns, though that wouldn’t stop him from breaking this curse. At this point, he would let nothing stop him.

“Elena, don't,” Jenna said in worry.

“No, Jenna! We can't leave Jeremy and Andy without a family,” Elena turned back to Klaus. “I followed your rules; I did everything that you asked. I didn't run. _Please_.”

Klaus stared at Elena a moment, ready to inform her why exactly Jenna had been chosen when he sensed a new presence had joined them. “Well, well,” He turned to where he heard the person breathing to see the youngest Salvatore standing atop the cliff. “I don't recall you being on the guest list.” As Jenna and Elena noticed Stefan, the brunette let out a gasp.

“I'm here to talk,” Stefan called out.

“Very well, then,” Klaus said, looking at Jenna briefly, then vamp-sped up to the top of the cliff and walked calmly towards Stefan. He knew the Salvatore didn’t remember him, but he couldn’t help but wonder how his old friend had become so dull.

The last time he had seen him he was still a raging ripper, but then again it had been some time since Klaus had caught wind of any ripper like Stefan. He wondered what changed Stefan, though considering his love for the doppelganger, it might have been love that tamed the beast after all. Klaus had to hold back his disgust as how pathetic the vampire had gotten.

“What can I do for you, Mr. Salvatore?”

“You don't need to kill Jenna. I'll take her place.” Klaus’ eyebrow shot up. He admittedly hadn’t expected this, but after seeing the new “noble” Stefan when he was in Alaric’s body, it didn’t surprise him.

“Oh, I don't know. I rather appreciate the symmetry of three women,” Klaus said, beginning to circle Stefan. “Three goddesses—sacrificed at nature's altar.”

Stefan turned around to face Klaus. “Don't play games with me. You'll get what you want either way,” He said.

“You're quite the hero, aren't you? I've heard that about you,” Klaus said, his mind flashing back to the bloody messes the two of them used to make. He used to be the villain. How things can change in such a short amount of time.

He couldn’t kill Stefan, not one of the few people he had genuinely considered a friend over the years. Jenna would die, he decided. Besides, he needed to make it clear that things would go the way he decided, not the way they wanted.

“Just make the trade. Me for Jenna,” Stefan said, the agitation in his voice.

“Let’s see what your girlfriend thinks of this,” Klaus said before speeding back down. Stefan followed behind him as they approached Jenna and Elena.

“I have to do something. This can't happen. None of it,” Elena was saying as they approached.

“Quite the predicament,” Klaus said as he went over to the altar and picked up a stake. “You know, it's funny, all this talk about preserving family, and here's Stefan, granting your wish. I suppose you should know this is all because of Andy and Damon. Had they not interfered, your aunt would still be human.”

Elena looked back at her boyfriend with sad eyes. “Stefan...”

“It's okay,” He said to her.

“Well,” Klaus said as he walked to stand in between Stefan and Jenna. He pointed the stake at both of them as he spoke. “Who's it going to be, Elena?”

“ _No_ ,” Elena breathed out in horror.

“Oh, don't worry. There's actually no choice,” Klaus said. Before Stefan could react, he sped around him and staked him in the back. Stefan screamed in pain and crumbled to the ground.

“No! Stefan! No!” Elena screamed out.

Klaus ripped the stake out of Stefan’s back, leaving a sizable chunk of wood in his back. “I have other plans for your boyfriend. I want him alive. But for now...” He snapped Stefan's neck causing Stefan to fall disgracefully to the ground. Elena gasped in shock.

“Klaus!” He sighed, knowing full well he should have seen this coming. He turned to see Andy burst into the clearing with a look of anger on her face.

* * *

“Klaus, wait, please,” Andy continued as she walked toward him. “Don’t sacrifice Jenna, please.” She paused when she saw Stefan’s body on the ground, but then looked over to see Elena and Jenna were both enclosed in a circle of fire. She turned to look back at Klaus, ignoring their confused looks.

“I don’t have the patience for this, Andy,” Klaus said and turned to Greta. “Whenever you're ready, Greta.”

“I’ll make a deal!” Andy shouted, causing him to look back at her with narrowed eyes.

“Andy, no!” Jenna cried out. “Just leave!”

Andy walked closer to Klaus, only stopping when there were a few feet between them. “I brought a replacement for Jenna,” She glanced behind her, nodding to Isobel. The vampire came walking out of the woods, her hands buried in the pockets of her coat. She looked blankly at them, almost as if she were bored.

“And you assumed I would take this replacement?” Klaus questioned, gesturing to Stefan. “He tried the same thing. He better be glad I didn’t end him right there. You might not be as lucky after what you pulled today. You were a conniving little minx, weren’t you?”

“The difference is that I’m offering you whatever you want. You set the terms, but my only request is that Jenna walks free,” Andy said, clenching her fists at his unimpressed expression. “You won, okay? You’re right. I’m desperate. I don’t want to see my aunt die for this. I understand you chose her because of what I did today but I am here to tell you I will do whatever you want me to if you let her go. _Please_.”

“Andy…” Elena said, but Andy kept her gaze away from her family. She wouldn’t be able to do this otherwise.

“And Isobel is willing to die?” Klaus questioned, his gaze slipping to the vampire.

“Your compulsion hasn’t worn off, I’m afraid. I either die now or wait until sunlight to die. You did compel me to remove my necklace to burn in the sunlight. Kinda of hard without the sunlight,” Isobel commented, looking up at the sky briefly. “Whether it is now or later doesn’t matter much to me.”

“I’m afraid I am going to have to reject your offer,” Klaus said as he turned to walk towards Jenna but Andy grabbed his arm. He looked back at her in irritation but she let go and yanked her bracelet off and held it up for him to see.

“This is my vervain bracelet. I don’t have any vervain in my system. You can compel me to do whatever right now. You can compel me to leave,” She let go of the bracelet, letting it fall to the ground. “But I want you to know if you kill Jenna, I will not rest until I wake the rest of your family. I will wake Elijah, Rebekah, and Mikael—and I _will_ find a way to kill you. Consequences be damned.”

Klaus took a step toward her, the anger clear on his expression. “Did you just threaten me?”

“I did. I may be human, but I’m a doppelganger. You said it yourself, there’s power in my blood. You can use me,” Andy insisted as she took another step towards him. “And I won’t put up any fuss if you accept the trade and spare Jenna.”

Klaus stared at her a moment before he began to compel her. “When I call on you, you will do exactly as I ask. No questions asked.”

“I’ll do exactly as you ask. No questions asked.” Andy felt disgusted by the time she had finished saying it. She hadn’t been able to stop herself from repeating the words even if she wanted to. She had felt the command wash over her and now she felt like she needed to bathe in vervain to get rid of it.

Klaus watched her a second longer before he walked toward Isobel, gesturing to Greta. The witch sent a circle of fire around Andy as she realized the full weight of the situation. If Klaus didn’t die tonight, then she would be stuck under his influence. There would be nothing she could do to stop it either.

“Andy, no…” Elena said, the tears forming in her eyes. Andy did her best to give her and Jenna a reassuring smile but in all honesty, it was difficult to stay positive herself. If Elijah didn’t finish Klaus, she would be in a messy state.

“Your turn,” Klaus said, holding a hand out to Isobel. The vampire walked over to him but didn’t take his hand. She looked over at Andy as Greta began chanting the next part of the spell.

“Remember what I told you this morning, Andy,” Isobel said before she walked over to the altar. Klaus glanced between the two before following her.

“I’m so sorry, Isobel,” Andy called out, her voice breaking as she realized she had asked Isobel to die for someone she didn’t even know. However, Isobel had done it. The thought that Isobel cared more than she let on was enough to pierce Andy’s heart. Even if Isobel was compelled to die, Andy had led her to her death. It wasn’t anyone else’s fault but Andy’s.

As Klaus walked behind Isobel, he watched Andy as if he were shoving it in her face. However, she and Isobel were watching each other, their gazes not having moved off of one another. For the first time, Andy realized how much she looked like Isobel. They had the same face shape and lips, though Andy’s nose was a bit longer than hers. Isobel was her biological mother and she had handed her over to Klaus like a lamb for slaughter.

Andy almost didn’t realize Klaus had staked Isobel until her skin became grey and decayed. She smiled at Andy before Klaus let her body fall to the ground. Andy felt the tears slip down her cheeks before she could stop them. _She_ had asked Isobel to die. She was glad Jenna was alive, but Andy had allowed Klaus to kill someone else to prevent it.

“Andy…” Jenna said, trying to grab her attention but Andy ignored her and focused on Klaus.

“Satisfied?” Klaus questioned as he stepped over Isobel’s body and gazed at Andy. She felt herself sink to her knees and hung her head low, trying to compose herself. Damn Rose and Trevor for kidnapping them. Damn Isobel and John for trying to find Klaus before he found Elena. Damn Klaus for coming to Mystic Falls. “Cheer up, Andy. Or have I not yet proved my merciful side? I suppose I will find some time. It isn’t as if you won’t be around.”

Andy didn’t speak up. She knew if she called Klaus the words she was thinking of, he very well may kill Jenna just to spite her. She was completely at his mercy, they all were. She couldn’t do anything until she watched Klaus kill Elena. Even then she would be no help to anyone.

“Perhaps you do learn some things,” Klaus commented. Andy inhaled, inwardly screaming at herself to ignore him. If she looked at him she would lose it.

“Andy…” Jenna moved as close to the flames as she could. “I’m so sorry. I failed you. I failed you both. I was supposed to protect you.”

Andy shook her head and quickly wiped the tears away from her eyes. She needed to remain strong. She could mourn after this was all over. She looked up and met Jenna’s gaze. “Don’t be sorry, Jen. You’re going to be okay…” She trailed off and looked over at Elena, who was also sitting down. “I’m sorry, Elena. I couldn’t let Jenna die.”

“It’s okay, Andy. I don’t want you and Jeremy to be alone,” Elena’s eyes were misty as well.

“I’m so sorry. We should have—”

“No, we shouldn’t have,” Elena interrupted. She knew Andy was going to say they should have fled. “This is our home. Our life. We couldn’t run for years like Katherine did. We wouldn’t have been happy.”

“We would have been alive,” Andy said sadly. She looked over to see Klaus had moved back to Greta’s side, but he was pouring blood from Isobel’s wrist into a bowl. She wondered if he was thinking about his own family, or if he was just waiting for the final phase so he could finally be a true hybrid. She swallowed heavily before looking back at Jenna. “Are you… are you a vampire now?” Jenna hesitated a moment before nodding. Andy inhaled and shuddered. “I was too late. I’m so sorry, Jen.”

“It’s _not_ your fault, Andy. You shouldn’t have to take care of me,” Jenna said softly.

“You’re my best friend, Jen. If you had died…” Andy could barely consider the possibility. If Jenna had died, she would have done whatever it took to make Klaus suffer before Elijah killed him. Isobel’s death might be on Andy’s conscience now, but it would have been nothing compared to if Jenna had died.

Klaus gazed up at the moon before he looked back at Greta. “Ready, love?”

“As I’ll ever be,” Greta said before she began to chant. Andy assumed that this was Jonas’ daughter. She wondered what he would think of seeing her now. She didn’t look as if she didn’t want to be here.

Stefan gasped as he woke up, startling the three women. He tried to reach the broken stake in his back but wasn’t flexible enough to do so. He looked up at Elena before he saw that Jenna and Andy were there as well. He looked over towards Greta and saw Isobel’s dead body with the stake in her back. Greta poured some of Isobel’s blood into the ceremonial bowl as he looked back to Andy with relief in his eyes.

Once Stefan looked back at her, Elena mouthed, “Are they going to kill him?”

“Yes,” Stefan replied softly.

“It's time.”

They all looked up as Klaus began walking toward Elena. The circle of fire disappeared from around her as she looked up at him. Klaus extended his hand towards her, but Elena got up from the ground and walked past Klaus, ignoring him. Andy inhaled and looked to Stefan, who was struggling to get the wood out of his back. Both Jenna and Andy were still stuck in their circles of fire and couldn’t help him.

Elena made her way to the altar and looked down at Isobel’s body. Klaus followed her up to the altar and grabbed Elena's face in his hand. Below them, Stefan struggled to get up from the ground as Jenna and Andy watched helplessly, tears filling their eyes. Klaus turned Elena's face so she was looking at him.

“Thank you, Elena,” He said.

“Go to hell,” Elena said, turning away from him to look out into the woods. She didn’t look at any of her loved ones and instead gazed ahead blankly.

“Elena…” Jenna cried. Stefan continued to struggle up, but falls back to the ground, too weak to move.

Andy watched helplessly as Klaus sunk his fangs into her neck and started to drain Elena of her blood. She knew she had seen this before in her dreams. She had been in this exact place watching this unfold. Klaus held Elena tightly as his eyes started to sprout more veins. Elena's eyelids began flutter and her eyes rolled into the back of her head as they all watched her die. Andy heard Jenna’s cries but could only dig her nails into the ground as she watched Klaus drop Elena’s lifeless body to the ground.

Blood dripped from Klaus' mouth and the flame in the bowl was abruptly extinguished. Andy felt a rush over her as if she was being coated in a blanket of warmth. She coughed, feeling an odd feeling of happiness settling over her. _I am free_ , a familiar voice echoed in her head. Looking up at Klaus in confusion, she saw he was distracted as he walked down the stone steps. She had heard him in her head.

“I can _feel_ it. It's happening,” He breathed out. He looked up at the full moon. Suddenly, his bones began to crack and he started to transform. At the same moment, Andy felt a rush of pain flow through her. She gasped out in pain as it felt like her bones were breaking. “Yes, _yes_!”

Andy barely registered a crashing sound as she fell over onto her side in pain. She looked up to see Klaus was on the ground multiple feet away from where he had been a moment before. She looked up to see Bonnie was coming down the hillside, chanting a spell. The flames around Jenna and Andy suddenly disappeared. Looking over at Greta, she saw the witch was lifeless and Damon stood behind her.

Andy cried out in pain as she felt like her entire body was on fire. Jenna rushed to her side and grabbed onto her in worry. “Andy, what’s wrong?”

“I… I can feel him,” Andy said, her voice cracking as she looked over at Klaus in worry. She felt fear and worry and pain all at once.

“No! You were dead!” He cried out at Bonnie as she approached. She didn’t stop chanting as she moved toward him and his body contorted into painful shapes as he screamed out.

“Elena… Where’s Elena?” Andy asked, looking over at Jenna. All she was feeling was fear and anger flowing through her. Anger at Elena. Anger at Bonnie, at Mikael, at Elijah. And the fear of dying.

“Damon has her,” Jenna assured as Andy body spasmed. She looked over to see Damon had carried Elena over to Stefan and had helped removed the stake from his brother’s back. She watched as Damon sped off with Elena’s body before she cried out in pain again. Even growing pains hadn’t been this bad. She felt like her bones were all broken and her skin felt like it was on fire.

Bonnie continued to chant the spell which was so powerful it caused trees to fall. Jenna grabbed Andy and sped over to the altar without even thinking, looking in shock at her own speed. Andy bit the insides of her cheeks as she tried to stop screaming from the intense pain but her vision was beginning to blur.

Klaus screamed in pain as he laid on the rocks. Andy breathed out as she saw Elijah’s face appear in her field of vision as he stood over her. He looked at her in worry and leaned down to touch her cheek before he turned to approach Klaus as Bonnie stopped chanting.

“Elijah?” Klaus said in shock and fear.

“Hello, brother,” Elijah said as he bent down next to Klaus. Andy still felt like her body was on fire but was able to lift herself up enough to watch the scene. She needed to see Klaus die for herself. Stefan had gotten up and walked up behind Bonnie. Elijah punched his arm into Klaus' chest, grabbing a hold of his heart. “In the name of our family, Niklaus...” Elijah twisted Klaus's heart.

“I didn't bury them at sea!”

Andy felt as if everything came crashing down in that moment. Klaus hadn’t sunk his family’s bodies. They would be easier for Elijah to locate, but potentially impossible depending on how well they were hidden by Klaus. She only had to look over at Elijah’s expression to know that everything was about to fall apart.

“What?” Elijah questioned in surprise.

“Their bodies are safe. If you kill me, you'll never find them,” Klaus said, the desperation and fear echoing in his words.

“Elijah! Don't listen to him,” Stefan exclaimed as he moved closer to them.

Klaus didn’t move his gaze off his brother. “Elijah. I can take you to them. I give you my word... brother.”

One look at Elijah told Andy all she needed to know. He was having second thoughts about killing his brother. He valued family, Andy remembered. He told her he valued his family over everything. Klaus _was_ his family. She was stupid to even believe that this would have gone smoothly.

“Elijah!” Andy exclaimed, drawing his attention to her. He looked torn for a moment until Bonnie spoke up.

“Do it and I'll take you both out,” The witch threatened.

“You'll die,” Elijah pointed out.

“ _I don't care_.”

Elijah looked down at Klaus for a second before looking back up at Andy, a pained look on his face. “I'm sorry,”

Stefan and Bonnie ran towards Elijah and Klaus, both screaming at Elijah not to, but before either can get to them, Elijah grabbed his brother and disappeared. Andy felt Jenna put her hands on her face trying to get her attention, but she continued staring in shock at the place where Elijah had just been.

Klaus was alive. And undoubtedly would be pissed come morning. Andy was still under his compulsion to whatever he asked, whenever he asked. Her head was pounding as four words repeated in her mind. _I won’t fail you_.

**_~ * • ° • ° • * ~_ **


	18. Point of No Return

**_Poison & Wine - Chapter XVIII_ **

**_~ * • ° • ° • * ~_ **

Andy walked around the town square, admiring the costumes of those who had dressed up for the screening of _Gone with the Wind_. It had been roughly two days since the full moon and the days hadn’t made their lives any easier.

Yesterday, they had buried Isobel. Andy had made certain she was buried in the plot her parents had picked out. She had taken Isobel’s necklace and offered it to Elena, but her sister had told her to keep it. After the funeral, Damon had taken her to Isobel’s place to gather her research.

_“She was a bit of a hoarder, huh?” Damon commented as Andy handed two boxes to him. She was taking everything Isobel had found on vampires, werewolves, and witches. However, there had been nothing that was about Klaus that Andy had seen so far._

_“She was a researcher,” Andy pointed out as she rolled her eyes._

_“Did she have to keep everything on paper? A flash drive would have been more convenient,” Damon commented as he turned and went to go put the boxes in the car. Andy turned and walked back into the office, glancing around at the nearly empty room. The only boxes left were stuff related to Isobel’s academic career._

_Andy hadn’t located the object Isobel had told her to find. She didn’t know anything about it other than she was supposed to protect it. How was she supposed to know what it looked like? She walked over to the shelf, noticing a copy of_ The Canterbury Tales _, one of Andy’s favorites. She smiled small as she pulled it from the shelf and flipped it open only to find the pages were blank. Her brows furrowed as she began flipping through it to find that the last page had a drawing of a shelf on it with a clock resting on it. Leaned against the clock was a copy_ of The Canterbury Tales _and_ Walden _._

_Turning with the book in her hand, Andy spotted the shelf in between the two windows. It looked exactly the same in the photo and Andy quickly sat the book down before going over to the shelf. She picked up the books and flipped through both only to find they were regular copies. She picked up the clock and felt the heavy weight to it._

_The clock had a farm painted on the side and as Andy turned to inspect it, she noticed a small latch on the top. She popped it open to see a velvet box was within. She slid it out and opened the long velvet box to reveal a dagger. The dagger had a green ribbon wrapped around its handle. It looked like the daggers that her teacher had brought in when they were learning about Vikings in World History. However, as she picked it up out of the box, she could tell that this dagger was real. There was no sign of rust on it as she twisted it to inspect it. She poked her finger to the end, breaking the skin. It was still sharp and in good condition._

_Something about the dagger seemed so familiar to her. It almost unsettled her as she gazed out it, wondering where she had seen it before. She was broken out of her reverie by Damon who had come into the office._

_“Everything okay?” He asked._

_“Yeah… I think this is what Isobel wanted me to find,” Andy said as she turned to show him it. “I’m not sure what it is but I think I’ve seen it before.”_

_“Huh,” Damon walked over and held his hand out but she shook her head._

_“It’s not that I don’t trust you, but… I’d feel comfortable being the only one to hold it until we know what it is,” She turned and gently placed it back in its case before sliding it back into the clock. “Then again, Isobel might have just been trying to scare me.”_

_“Listen, Andy…” He sighed. “I want you to know I’m sorry for everything I ever did to you. I shouldn’t have messed with your feelings. You deserve better than me.”_

_Andy turned to look at him in surprise, not expecting his sincerity or any of this in fact. He was looking at her with genuine sadness that Andy thought for a moment something may be wrong, but then she assumed it had to do with the fact she had sold her life to Klaus. They didn’t know when she would have to go to Klaus._

_“It’s okay, Damon. I forgive you,” She said with a small smile. She wouldn’t forget the things he did, but if she was going to be Klaus’ puppet, she needed closure in all of her relationships. The closure she hadn’t received for John._

_Damon looked relieved and nodded. “Thank you, Andy.”_

_“Don’t start getting mushy on me. It will make me miss you when Klaus comes to collect me,” Andy said, patting his arm as she went past him._

After burying Isobel, the next person had been John. John had been missing the couple days before the sacrifice because he had been hunting down a spell to save Elena’s life. When he found out Elena had been fed blood by Damon, he decided to go through with the spell. The spell allowed Elena to come back to life as a human, but it cost John his life. Andy hadn’t even gotten to say goodbye to him or tell him how much she had appreciated him. He had visited almost every day when she had been in rehab. He had left her a letter that had conveyed his love for her and how proud he was, but Andy didn’t feel like she had any closure.

Other than the funerals, the most that happened was trying to help Jenna adjust to her life as a vampire. Unfortunately, Andy hadn’t been able to stop Klaus turning her into a vampire and now she was coming to terms with being stuck at thirty for the rest of her life and never being able to have children.

Outwardly Jenna handled it a lot better than any of them expected, especially when Stefan took her to feed on animals out in the woods, but Andy knew she had been keeping her distance from Alaric. He had been trying to help her and do everything he could think of, but she looked disconnected whenever Alaric would hug or touch her. Stefan claimed he believed it was because she was afraid of hurting him, but Andy felt it had to do more with her realizing that she would outlive Alaric. There would be no real future for them. Alaric either realized this and didn’t care, much like Elena with Stefan, or the thought hadn’t really crossed his mind yet.

As Andy turned the corner, she caught sight of what she at first thought was Elijah. Her breath caught in her throat as her blood chilled, but the man turned to reveal someone else entirely. She let out a sigh of relief before she continued walking. Her mind flashed back to when he touched her cheek, the worry that was in his eyes… The last thing she wanted to think about was Elijah, who had given her his word that he was going to kill Klaus. Instead, he had hesitated because Klaus had claimed that he didn’t scatter their family in the ocean. And then he had actually helped Klaus escape.

Now Andy was stuck following Klaus. There had been no sign of either of the Originals, but Andy had a feeling that Klaus wouldn’t forget the deal she had made with him anytime soon. She had continued staying at the Salvatores the last few days with Jenna, mostly because Elena had moved back into their own home and because she didn’t want Jenna to be alone while she was adjusting to her new life as a vampire. If Klaus showed up, Andy didn’t want him to know Elena was still alive. She was just going to have to keep her distance from her sister, though Elena believed Klaus had already left town by now. Andy wasn’t so optimistic.

When Bonnie had tried to kill Klaus, Andy swore she felt everything that Klaus was. Bonnie was clueless about what it could have been. Even when she had brought some of Andy’s blood to the Old Witch house, the witches had been silent on the matter. They hadn’t even spoken to Bonnie at all. Andy wasn’t sure what it meant, but she didn’t want to experience those emotions again. She didn’t even want to see Klaus again, but she had sold herself to him. All because he had tried to kill Jenna. In the end, he always seemed to win.

“Andy!” She looked over to see Jeremy had called her over. He was standing by Elena, who was sitting down on a blanket. Smiling, she headed over to her siblings.

“I knew I’d run into you all eventually,” Andy said as she walked over to them. She sat down next to Elena and laid back on the blanket. “I’m probably going to fall asleep during this. It’s a proven fact I can’t stay awake for anything over an hour and a half.”

“At least you’ll get to see half of the movie then,” Elena commented.

“Unless Klaus decides to show up. I think you all forget I handed myself on a silver platter to him,” Andy said, turning her head to look at Elena. “I don’t regret it, but I wish Elijah had at least indicated that he was going to betray us. Probably wouldn’t have begged as much.”

“Do you really think Klaus will come for you?” Jeremy asked in worry.

Andy hesitated a moment before nodding. “Yes. He wouldn’t make a deal with me if he didn’t benefit from it. Sooner or later he’ll show up…” She trailed off before sitting up with a torn expression. “Which is why I was thinking maybe I should hand myself over.”

“What?” Elena and Jeremy both exclaimed at the same time.

“If he finds out Elena’s alive, there’s no telling what will happen. He wanted me because I’m a doppelganger. Imagine if he could have two,” Andy pointed out. “If I go with him, maybe I can get him to go ahead and use me for whatever he wants. Maybe I can convince him just to take some of my blood and leave me be until he needs more.”

“Are you crazy? Andy, you can’t just hand yourself over,” Jeremy said, his brow furrowing.

“I can, Jer. I made a deal with him, okay? I don’t have much choice unless we want to lose Jenna as well,” Andy pointed out. “I don’t like this as much as you guys but if I break the deal, then there’s no telling what Klaus will do in retaliation. Isobel would have died for nothing. He could still come and easily kill Jenna.”

Her siblings both looked as if they were ready to continue the argument, but before they could, Caroline approached with a couple of baskets, Jenna by her side. Caroline was watching Jenna for the day because Stefan had something else to handle. Andy thought it was too early for Jenna to be out among this many people, but Stefan thought she was ready. As a realtor and grad student, Stefan said that Jenna would need to get used to being around people as a vampire. Still, Andy could see the slight discomfort in Jenna’s eyes as she sat down on the blanket next to them.

“Hey! There you guys are. Who's hungry?” Caroline said, sitting the baskets down in between Elena and Andy. “Jenna and I picked up something really good.”

“Are we really doing this?” Jeremy questioned, raising his eyebrow.

“Yes, we are really doing this. We are going to take a page from Scarlett. We made it through the war,” Caroline said as she knelt down on the blanket. “I know you guys went through hell, and my mom knows I am a vampire, so basically it's like Atlanta has burned. And yet, in spite of everything, we persevere.”

“I’ve not had a normal meal with you guys in a few days, Jeremy. Please,” Jenna said, giving him a pleading look.

“All right,” Jeremy said with a nod. He sat down next to Caroline. “What are we eating?”

Jenna smiled and looked over at Andy, but the doppelganger could tell the smile didn’t reach her eyes. Andy touched her hand and smiled back at her. She knew Jenna had had difficulty coming to terms with the deal she had made with Klaus. Jenna hadn’t said it, but Andy knew that she was upset Andy had sold her life away just so she could live. That was the very reason Andy wouldn’t tell Jenna of her plan to go to Klaus. She shouldn’t have even told Elena or Jeremy, but they needed to know not to look for her. Drawing Klaus back to Mystic Falls isn’t something they needed either.

“You feeling okay?” Andy asked her aunt in a quiet tone.

“Yeah, I’m doing good,” Jenna said before she focused back on Caroline who was unpacking the baskets. There was potato salad, cookies, sandwiches, melon and prosciutto skewers, fruit salad, and many other options. Andy wasn’t sure when they got the time to prepare it, but she didn’t complain as they all dug into the food. The sky was starting to darken while they ate and spoke about the last month of school. When Caroline and Elena were suggesting to Jeremy what teachers he should hope for next year, Andy turned to her aunt.

“Where is Ric?”

“Oh, he said he would join us later. He had some work to do,” Jenna said coolly. Andy raised an eyebrow but didn’t question her further. She had never known Alaric to grade papers on a Friday. However, Jenna was clearly not in the mood to speak of anything that would remind her of their reality, and Andy decided to respect that. It was only her second day as a vampire after all, though she had to admit she felt like there was a wedge between them now. Undoubtedly it had to do with Andy letting Isobel be sacrificed. Even if Jenna didn’t like her, Andy had allowed Isobel to die without a second thought.

After they had finished their food, the movie was about to begin. They were all settling in when Stefan walked up to them. “Hey,” He greeted, but he didn’t have an ounce of happiness in him.

“Hey! Look who couldn't resist an epic romance,” Elena said with a smile.

“Will you come take a walk with me?” Stefan said seriously, causing them to glance at one another in worry. Elena stood and began walking away with Stefan.

“Please tell me you’re eavesdropping,” Andy said as she noticed Caroline and Jenna both focusing on Stefan. Caroline shot her a quick smile before focusing again.

“Oh my God,” Caroline gasped, her brows furrowing. Jenna’s jaw dropped as she looked over at Andy in shock.

“A werewolf bite kills vampires, right?” Jenna asked.

“Yeah…” Andy answered hesitantly. “Wait, was someone bit?”

“When Damon saved Tyler and I… We didn’t have enough time before Tyler transformed. Damon said he was okay but—but I guess Tyler actually bit him,” Caroline explained with a sad look.

“ _What?_ ” Andy thought back to their trip to Isobel’s yesterday. He had seemed completely fine. Why hadn’t he told her? She realized that the reason he had actually apologized because he was dying and wanted closure himself. She remembered that Elijah had told her there was a cure, but he hadn’t said what. He had said it was out of their reach, which meant that it was likely too late for Damon.

“Wait,” Jenna said. “Stefan said there might be a cure…”

“But Klaus has it,” Caroline finished in a whisper. Andy jumped to her feet and began to head toward Stefan and Elena. “Andy, where are you going?”

“I need to talk to Stefan,” Andy said, turning back to look at them briefly. She saw Jenna was watching her with a frown and began to stand as well but Andy quickly shook her head. “Stay here, okay? Please.”

Before they could argue, Andy turned and rushed over to Elena and Stefan. Elena began to walk away but paused when she saw Andy. “I need to talk to you,” Andy said, ignoring her sister and focusing on Stefan.

“Andy…” Elena began but Andy shook her head.

“It’s alright, Elena. Go to Damon,” Stefan said with a nod. Elena hesitated before she walked away. Andy gestured for Stefan to walk with her, not wanting Jenna or Caroline to overhear their conversation. Once she was certain they were far enough away, she began speaking.

“I’m going with you to Klaus,” Andy said.

“What? Andy, no—”

“You know I made the deal with Klaus. If he comes for me, then he finds out Elena didn’t die which puts her at stake. It puts Jenna and Jeremy and everyone else on the line,” Andy pointed out to Stefan. He frowned but remained silent as she continued. “I’m going to go to him whether you take me or not. I _can_ help you, Stefan. He didn’t kill either of us for a reason. Just let me go with you.”

Stefan looked torn as he glanced back in Elena’s direction. “You would leave without a goodbye?”

“If I must, I will. They have each other,” Andy said sadly. “Maybe I can ask Klaus for the cure. You won’t have to do anything then. I had to make a deal with Klaus but it doesn’t mean you have to.”

Stefan was quiet for a long moment before he nodded slowly. “Alright. Let’s go.”

* * *

When Stefan and Andy entered Alaric’s apartment, Katherine was sitting on the couch. “Hello, Katherine,” Stefan greeted.

She stood, the irritation clear in her tone and expression. “Two days, I've been waiting. I'm supposed to be free of Klaus' compulsion by now. He's supposed to be dead!”

“We ran into complications,” Andy said, folding her arms over her chest.

Katherine raised her eyebrows and looked in between them. “Complications?”

“Doesn't really matter. I just need to find him. Do you have any idea where he might be?” Stefan asked, but Katherine quickly pushed him against the wall and motions for him to be quiet. Behind Andy, the door opened. She turned to see who it was only to find herself face to face with Klaus and Elijah. She and Elijah looked at one another in surprise for a moment until she glared at him. In all honesty, she hadn’t expected to see him here but she should have known.

“Klaus, you're back. Look who decided to come for a visit,” Katherine commented as she let go of Stefan and stepped away from him.

“Glad to see you are willing to hold up your end of the deal, love,” Klaus said as he approached Andy. She looked up at him, doing her best to hide her bitter expression but was ultimately unacceptable.

“Well, unlike some people, when I give my word I uphold it,” She snapped, feeling Elijah’s gaze on her. She didn’t turn to look at him though. A smile curled at Klaus’ lips but instead of responding he turned to look at Stefan.

“You just keep popping up, don't you?” He commented.

“I need your help... For my brother,” Stefan said, stepping forward to stand next to Andy.

“Well, whatever it is, it's gonna have to wait a tick. You see, I have an obligation to my brother that requires my immediate attention,” Klaus replied as he walked around them and over to the table. Andy looked at Elijah but his gaze had moved to Stefan.

“You understand how important family is, or either of you wouldn't be here,” Elijah said, his gaze boring into Andy’s. Klaus moved back over to them, watching in curiosity. “My brother gave me his word that he would reunite me with my own.”

“Hopefully he holds up his end of the bargain. I would hate karma to bite you in the ass,” Andy said Elijah. He looked at her with a torn expression, but Klaus pulled their attention away from one another.

“And so I shall,” He said, turning to face his brother. Before they could even react, Klaus daggered Elijah. Andy gasped in shock as she felt pain rush through her body. Klaus lowered Elijah’s body onto the couch, and she watched as the Original’s body grayed and stilled. She shouldn’t be surprised by his betrayal, and a part of her wanted to believe that this was what Elijah deserved, but at the same time, it made her blood boil. Klaus wasn’t a man of his word after all.

Klaus sped over to Stefan and shoved him against the wall. “Now, what am I gonna do with you?” Using the stake he carried, he stabbed Stefan in the chest. Andy gasped and started to run forward, but Katherine grabbed her. Stefan groaned and buckled forward but Klaus held him up. “Do you feel that? It's scraping against your heart. The slightest little movement and you're dead.”

“He's just trying to help his brother, Klaus!” Andy exclaimed. “He just needs to know what the cure is for a werewolf bite.”

“What gave you the idea I knew what this cure was?” Klaus questioned.

“The witches said you had a cure. Make me a deal. Just give me the cure, and I'll do whatever you want,” Stefan gasped out.

“Stefan, no,” Andy said, going to move toward them again but Katherine kept her in place. Stefan couldn’t make the deal with Klaus, not when Elena would need him. Klaus glanced back at Andy before he took out the stake. Stefan fell on the floor and Andy yanked out of Katherine’s grip as Klaus walked over to the counter, putting the stake on it. Andy rushed over to Stefan and helped him sit up as Klaus poured himself a glass of blood.

“Trouble is I don't know if you'd be any good to me the way you are now. You are just shy of useless,” Klaus commented. “Andy, at least, has some uses.”

“Why make a deal with Stefan?” Andy questioned. “You don’t need him, you have me. Just please give him the cure and I’ll stay with you for the rest of my life.”

“Bargaining once again. This time for someone who you don’t particularly even like anymore,” Klaus clicked his tongue before taking a long swig from his glass. “I hate to break it to you, love, but you already used all of your cards. I’m afraid this is a deal Stefan is going to need to make.”

“He’s a regular vampire! He’d be of no use to you,” Andy pointed out. Klaus walked over to them and crouched so he could look at them on the same level.

“I heard about this one vampire, crazy bloke, always on and off the wagon for decades. When he was off, he was magnificent. 1917, he went into Monterrey and wiped out an entire migrant village... A true ripper. Sound familiar?” Klaus said, a smile on his lips as he gazed at Stefan. Andy looked in uncertainty between the two of them.

“I haven't been that way in a very long time,” Stefan said stiffly.

“Well, that's the vampire I can make a deal with,” Klaus said as he stood to his feet. “ _That_ is the kind of talent that I can use when I leave this town.”

Stefan stood up on his own. Andy stood as well, looking at Stefan with a worried expression. He couldn’t leave with Klaus. Damon needed him, Elena needed him, Jenna needed him. If he made this deal with Klaus, he may never return to Mystic Falls.

“Katerina, come here,” Klaus ordered. The vampire hesitated before walking over to them. Andy watched warily as he took Katherine’s arm. Suddenly, his face changed, his eyes yellow and veins popping up around his eyes. He bit deeply into her arm as Katherine cried out in fear and pain. Then, he bit his own wrist before he made Katherine drink his blood. They watched in awe as the wound healed. Klaus looked back up at Stefan. “You want your cure? There it is.”

“Your blood is the cure,” Stefan realized.

“Gotta love Mother Nature,” Klaus said, putting his hand on Stefan's shoulder. “Now... Let's talk, you and I,” Katherine retreated from them as Klaus looked over at Andy. “Love, why don’t you grab something to transport my blood from the kitchen?”

“Do I look like your maid?” Andy shot at him but found her feet moving. Her brows furrowed until she remembered he had compelled her to do whatever he asked.

“I recall you saying you would do whatever I asked. _Without question_.” Andy scowled as she searched the kitchen. She could hear the satisfaction in his voice and wanted to punch him.

“In exchange for my blood, you will accompany me out of town. You will leave behind your brother and your friends,” Klaus paused. “Well, I suppose all except for Andy. It would be useful to have a doppelganger with us.”

Andy continued scowling as she found a small vial and held it up. “Found it.”

“Why not just take some of her blood now?” Stefan questioned. “She should stay here with her family. If you take some of her blood with you then there’s no real difference.”

“Hm. Well,” Klaus crossed the room, coming to stand next to Andy. “Last I checked I was the one who set the terms of my agreement with her. Not you, Stefan. Andy will come with me tonight. I suppose the question now is if you will,” Andy handed him the vial. “Thank you, love.”

Klaus walked over and grabbed a knife from one of the drawers. He squeezed the knife blade tightly, and blood began pouring from his hand into the vial. Andy looked over at Stefan, who was wearing a stern look on his face. He met Andy’s gaze briefly and she tried to convey with a look that she didn’t want him to do this to himself. She had been told about Stefan’s past briefly but she knew that it would take him years to stop drinking human blood if he started and that he wasn’t Stefan when he went on binges.

“There it is,” Klaus said as he filled up the vial and turned to Stefan, who had moved to stand on the other side of the counter from them. “You want to save your brother? How about a decade-long bender? And I have big plans for you when we leave this town.”

Stefan tensed up. “I’m not like that anymore.”

“Well, that's too bad. You would have made a hell of a wingman,” Klaus said before he started pouring the blood down the sink.

“Wait,” Stefan said, his voice lowering as realized there would be no way for him to get out of this.

Klaus stopped pouring the blood. “Now that's more like it. I want you to join me for a drink,” He slid him a blood bag along the counter. Stefan took it after a moment of hesitation and opened the end. Klaus watched while drinking his glass of blood and Andy clenched her fists as she watched Stefan taking a sip from the blood bag. This was the first time she had seen his fangs. “Finish it. All of it. You do everything I say, and I save your brother. That's the deal.”

Stefan looked at Andy before he sucked the rest of the blood bag down. He slammed it down on the counter and looked at Klaus bitterly. However, the hybrid didn’t let up. He slid another blood bag to Stefan.

“Again.”

Andy turned away as Stefan drank two more. She walked over to the sink and closed her eyes, feeling as if she was going to be sick. She had realized that if Stefan made a deal to save Klaus’ life, she would be stuck with ripper Stefan for who knew how long. She would have to watch as they both killed people and there wouldn’t be a damn thing she could do about it because she was compelled by Klaus to obey him.

“Love, it’s better for you to watch,” Klaus called to her. “After all, this is what being a vampire is all about. Jenna will learn soon enough.”

Andy wanted to punch him. She wanted to grab the cure and Stefan and get the hell away from the hybrid. But she also knew that she and Stefan were here because of family, just as Elijah had said. They couldn’t leave because they couldn’t let their family go.

She turned around to face them, seeing Stefan was already on his fifth one and was on his knees. She saw the look in his eyes as he guzzled the last one down. It wasn’t anything like the Stefan she knew, instead, it was a darker being in there. He looked desperate and hungry, like a caged animal.

Klaus turned back to Stefan, a look of satisfaction on his face. “You're very cooperative. It's almost as if you're enjoying it,” He commented before tossing another blood bag on the floor next to him.

“No more. Not until you give me the cure,” Stefan said, his breathing heavy. He met Andy’s gaze briefly before wiping the blood off of his mouth.

“ _Not_ until we make a deal. It's your choice, Stefan,” Klaus said as he crouched down in front of Stefan. “You can either remain here living your life in Mystic Falls, or you can embrace what you truly are, leave town with me, and save your brother's life.” He picked up and offered it to Stefan. Stefan snatched it and drank vigorously. “That's the spirit.”

“Stefan…” Andy whispered as he finished the blood bag. He tossed it to the side and looked up at her, a look of shame and hunger on his face.

“Sweetheart...” Klaus said as he picked up the vial of his blood and turned to Katherine. She hesitantly approached as he held out the vial. “Take this over to Damon and come right back.”

“You want me to leave?” Katherine questioned.

“No!” Stefan and Andy both yelled out at once. They knew Katherine was compelled and that she wouldn’t bring the vial to Damon. She would leave town as soon as she could.

“Yes and if I were you...” Before Klaus could even finish his sentence, Katherine took the vial and rushed out the door at super speed. “I'd hurry.” He sat down in a chair and looked at Stefan and Andy with a smile.

“She'll never take it to him,” Stefan stated, a grieved look on his face. Klaus cocked his head in a gesture of indifference. Stefan looked down and whispered to himself. “She'll never take it to him.”

Andy turned away from them and pulled out her phone. However, Klaus sped over and snatched it. “What do you think you’re doing?” He asked.

“I’m calling Alaric to hunt that bitch down,” Andy snapped as she looked up at him in anger. She tried reaching for her phone but he held it out of her reach. “You’re never going to see her again! She’s on _vervain_ , you idiot. She’ll run as far away from you as she can and won’t even think twice about letting Damon die.”

“I’ve been around a long time, Andy. I rarely get played for a fool,” Klaus commented before he sat Andy’s phone on the counter. Andy continued scowling but didn’t respond. “She won’t get far. Stefan will help me see to it.”

“Yes because she just happened to evade you for five-hundred-years,” She muttered as she gazed at her phone. “Can I have my phone back?”

“No, because I want you to let go of your family. They’ll only hold you back,” Klaus said.

“You’re going to have to compel me because I can’t forget them,” Andy snapped at him.

“I would never compel you to forget your family, Andy. You can’t contact them, not while you’re with me. Just as I’m sure Damon will try with Stefan, they’ll try to find you,” Klaus said with a shrug. “Sorry, love. But you made the deal.”

“Because you were already killing my sister. I didn’t want to lose another person,” Andy walked around him. “Fine. Let’s just leave if we’re going to. If Katherine even goes to Damon then they’ll come looking for us. Better to get a head start.”

“There’s just one more thing I need to take care of.”

* * *

Andy watched Klaus as he stared at his brother’s body. He had placed Elijah in a coffin after taking them to a warehouse just outside of town. There were a lot of wooden crates around and a few men Klaus had clearly compelled. As soon as they had entered the warehouse, Andy had gotten a bad feeling. She wasn’t sure what it was, but there was something about the back of the warehouse that felt as if it were drawing her in.

“I suppose, brother, you've been reunited with our family,” Klaus said before he closed the lid of the coffin. Andy glanced around the room, wondering where their family was in this warehouse and how many of them there actually were. How many of them were vampires? “Put him with the others. We're leaving town tonight.”

The men moved the table away from them. Andy glanced over at Stefan who was standing by her side. A part of her was afraid he would feed on her, but the way he looked after he finished drinking the blood bags indicated to Andy she wasn’t in danger of the Ripper. Not yet, at least.

Stefan’s phone buzzed with a text. He turned his screen so Andy could see what it read. She breathed a sigh of relief at the words, “Damon’s okay. Where R U and Andy?” _Elena_. Andy looked up at Stefan in slight worry, but he put his phone away as Klaus turned toward them.

“So... Did Katerina make it in time?” Klaus questioned.

Stefan clenched his fists and walked toward Klaus. “What is it you really want from us?”

“All will be explained in time. Once we leave this tragic little town,” Klaus said.

“Then are we done here? Can we go?” Andy asked, anxiously glancing around. She didn’t want to stay long enough for Jenna to find out what she had done. She was sure her aunt would hunt her down if she found out.

“Not quite. You see, I have a gift for Stefan,” Klaus turned sideways, “Come here, sweetheart. Don't be afraid.” A girl walked over from behind a crate.

“Klaus…” Andy said, worry for the girl beginning to fill her.

Klaus looked at Stefan, ignoring Andy entirely. “See, I wanna make sure you honor our deal... that you'll be of use to me,” He bit the girl's neck and drank her blood. Andy stepped forward but Stefan held up a hand to stop her. Klaus pulled away and looked up at them with yellow eyes and bloodied lips. “I could have compelled her to behave, but a real ripper enjoys the hunt.”

Klaus released her. The girl ran away, screaming but she barely got halfway down the aisle before Stefan stopped her, biting her and drinking her blood until her body became lifeless. Andy watched and covered her mouth in horror as Stefan dropped the body to the ground. She saw Klaus was smirking from her peripheral but she couldn’t turn to look at him. Stefan turned to look at them and saw the look on Andy’s face. His expression faltered for a moment and Andy saw the guilt in his eyes.

She turned away from him and looked at the crazed hybrid who was looking more satisfied than ever.

“ _Now_ we can go.”

**_~ * • ° • ° • * ~_ **


	19. Going Under

**_Poison & Wine ~ Chapter XIX_ **

**_~ * • ° • ° • * ~_ **

“Find anything yet?”

“Oh, you know, just some potential Ripper victims,” Damon replied with a lopsided smile. Jenna stood from her seat and crossed the room to look at the computer screen. _Six dead. Dismemberment. Drained of their blood._ Jenna exhaled, realizing they were getting closer to Klaus and Stefan which would lead them to truly the only reason she was helping Damon.

It had been nearly a month since the sacrifice. Nearly a month since Andy had sold her soul to Klaus just so he would spare Jenna’s. From the moment she was informed that Andy was gone, Jenna had begun looking for her niece. She hadn’t known that Andy intended to hand herself over to Klaus. In fact, Jenna had planned to offer herself to Klaus as a replacement even though his deal was with Andy. She didn’t want Andy giving her life up for her—Jenna was the guardian, _she_ was supposed to protect _them_. However, she had been foolish to believe that Andy wouldn’t carry out the deal. She should have known the moment Andy left with Stefan to find a cure for a werewolf bite.

Jenna had sworn to herself she would find Andy and make her return home. If Klaus wanted someone, he would have to take Jenna. Andy was a child—she hadn’t even completed her junior year of high school—and deserved to live in her home with her family. She didn’t deserve traveling around with a homicidal hybrid and a ripper, even if the latter was a friend.

“Where is this one?” Jenna asked him as she straightened up.

“Just on the border between North and South Carolina. I didn’t think my brother cared much for the Carolinas,” Damon stated, scrunching his nose. “Then again this dismemberment might be to show his dislike of them.”

“Why are they so close?” Jenna questioned as she stared hard at the screen, recognizing the town name. It was a bigger city, making Jenna wonder why they would draw such attention to the area. “You would think Klaus would have taken them on the other side of the country by now. I mean, we haven’t seen one trace of any of them since they left town. Why would they be sloppy now?”

“My brother doesn’t like to kill. He hasn’t ever been the subtlest killer, either. I would say he wants to be found, but… maybe he wants us to find Andy,” Damon suggested as he turned in his chair to look at her. “Or maybe he wants to misdirect us. Ripper Stefan isn’t the most friendly guy.”

“I suppose it makes no sense for us to head there, does it?” she asked as she gestured to the screen.

“The bodies were there for a few days before they were discovered. We’ll find absolutely nothing there,” Damon sighed in frustration. “There’s no telling what direction they went in.”

“So, we’re back to the beginning again,” Jenna stated in a similar tone. “Great. A whole month’s worth of tracking gone in a moment. Which means I’ve been spending time third wheeling with you and Andi for no damn reason.”

“Hey, you’re the one who asked for my help,” Damon pointed out as he turned in his chair to look at her.

“Because I thought you’d be on top of telling where your brother and Klaus may take my niece. I’ve studied everything you’ve told me about Stefan and what he does to people as a ripper and I feel like I spot him more easily than you do,” Jenna said in a bitter tone as she walked over to their board and pushed a pin into the town Stefan had recently appeared in. “Andy is out there with him and Klaus as they kill their way through the entire Southern population.”

“Depending on who in the population they’re killing, is it that big of a deal?” he asked, causing her to glare at him. He rolled his eyes as he stood and crossed the room to stand in front of her. “Last I checked Andy willingly handed herself over to Klaus. She told Elena and Jeremy she was going to.”

Jenna turned to glare at him. “She gave herself over to Klaus to save me, Damon. Just as Stefan did for _you_. I told you I’m looking for her with or without your help. I’m not scared of Klaus, not anymore. I’m an angry vampire guardian pissed because he took advantage of a seventeen-year-old girl who felt like she didn’t have any other choices other than to sell her life to him. I gave you my word that I wouldn’t tell Elena because we don’t want Klaus knowing about her but do not think for one second I won’t bring Andy home as soon as I find her, consequences be damned.”

“And what if Klaus kills you? Or what if she won’t leave?” Damon demanded. “You know Andy better than anyone. You know how stubborn she is. If she thinks she will put any of you in danger, she wouldn’t leave Klaus’ side. If he hasn’t already killed her.”

“So, what is it that you recommend? Leaving her to deal with Klaus for the rest of her life?”

“If it keeps Elena safe from Klaus, maybe it’s the best thing.”

Jenna smacked him, causing him to look at her with an annoyed and angered look. “I get that you are in love with Elena and want to protect her, but do not think for one second that I will not kick your ass if you ever suggest to me again that I leave any single one of my family members behind,” Jenna turned to leave the room but paused to look back at Damon who was staring at her with his jaw clenched. “Stefan left willingly too, Damon. And not once have you thought about if he might not want to come home.”

She walked out of his room and headed downstairs. Running a hand through her hair, she sighed in frustration. Damon had been an immense help with research the last month, but he had also been spending a decent amount of time with Elena. They were allowing Elena to help them look but didn’t have her as involved as she believed she was. They had both agreed that it put her at too much risk with Klaus. Jenna hated withholding the information from Elena, but she had already lost one niece to Klaus. She didn’t need to add another.

As Jenna walked into the living room, Alaric walked into the house. She tensed slightly and grabbed her car keys and jacket as he approached her. “Hey, what did I miss?” he asked.

“Damon once again telling me I should let Andy stay under the control of that psychotic hybrid,” Jenna replied, her tone brisk as she slid her jacket on and headed for the door. Alaric grabbed her arm, causing her to stop to look up at him.

“Sorry,” Alaric mumbled as he let go of her and glanced down at his feet awkwardly. She dropped her scowl and gazed up at him. “Don’t listen to him. He wants to find her as well, Jenna. She’s the one who saved your life, which he inadvertently put at risk when he freed Tyler and Caroline.”

Jenna sighed and folded her arms across her chest. “I can’t work with him today. I have a showing in an hour I need to get to anyway. Can you handle him for the day? And keep me updated if anything comes to light?”

“Of course,” Alaric replied and looked as if he wanted to say more, but couldn’t find the words. Jenna was in a similar position and merely nodded before she rushed out of the house.

From the moment Jenna had found out that Andy had disappeared, Alaric and she had grown a little distant from one another. Jenna knew it was because of her now and not him. She had thrown herself into tracking down Klaus and finding her niece—she _needed_ to find Andy. Andy had thrown her life away just to save her. To Jenna, it wasn’t right that a seventeen-year-old should have to pay that price, much less that the said girl was her niece that she remembered wearing diapers. Jenna was supposed to protect Andy and instead she had let her waltz right into Klaus’ arms.

Another issue Jenna was certain that had come between her and Alaric was the fact she was a vampire now. Caroline had been helping with cravings and learning how to use her new powers. Every once and a while Damon would try to help, but he and Jenna already saw one another far too often when they were trying to hunt down leads. They had taken so many road trips tracking down dead leads in the past month that Jenna’s work life had suffered slightly. Caroline was a good enough teacher, and Jenna wasn’t having any problems with controlling her thirst. The first couple of days had been a little rough, but tracking Klaus and Stefan had given her something to focus on rather than the fact she would now spend the rest of her life as a vampire.

Jenna was sure that Alaric would push her away eventually. His first wife had become a vampire over being with him and now his girlfriend had been turned and nearly sacrificed. She knew they had no future together despite how much she cared for him. She believed it was better for them to cut ties now so that he could find someone he could grow old with. It burned more deeply than she would ever admit that it wouldn’t be her, but he deserved someone better than her.

Once Jenna had gotten far away from the Salvatores, she pulled out her phone and dialed Andy’s number. All of her calls and messages had gone unanswered so far, but Jenna had held out hope. She knew that Andy would try to contact her at some point. Once again, she was met with the voicemail and left a brief message. Even if she was compelled by Klaus, Jenna had to believe that Andy was fighting to return to them. She couldn’t be happy with Klaus, not after everything he had done.

“Andy, it’s Jenna… again. Listen, I need you to give me some sign you’re getting my messages. That you’re not…” She choked up, not wanting to consider the possibility that Damon had brought up. “Your birthday is coming up soon and I need to know what I should get you. You change your mind so often I just want to make sure I get the right cake. Please, Andy… call me.”

* * *

To say Andy was miserable would be an understatement. She couldn’t describe her current emotion in a way that would do it justice. She could, however, think of many words to describe the hybrid who had just walked into her room.

It had been a month since Andy had left Mystic Falls behind with Klaus and Stefan. It had been a month since she had a real conversation with someone other than the two men and it had been a month since she had felt for once everything may turn out all right.

In the last few weeks, she had been traveling around with Klaus and Stefan as they searched for signs of a werewolf pack. They had made their way to Georgia after some stops in the Carolinas and were currently staying in Atlanta. From her understanding, Klaus was looking for werewolves to turn them into hybrids like him. She didn’t realize that the breaking the curse would enable him to do that, but it made her wonder why he wanted to create more hybrids when he was already the top of the food chain, which was something he clearly enjoyed.

Andy had been treated surprisingly fairly considering her company. The first few days of their travels were tense and quiet. Andy had scarcely spoken a word to even Stefan, who had been quiet on his own because of what Klaus was having him do. Andy had seen Stefan kill a little over thirty people now—thirty-three if her count was still right. Sometimes Klaus would leave her at the hotel or house when he and Stefan went to feed, other times he would bring her along. She noticed he would watch her closely while he was feeding as if he were gauging her response. He honestly hadn’t bothered her as much as she would have thought he would; instead, he almost seemed content to let her stew in her bitterness by herself.

She was still under his compulsion, even if he hadn’t used it to his advantage yet. He had provided her with everything she would need and more. He had bought her an entire wardrobe of clothes that she wouldn’t be able to wear in an entire year. If she wanted a book or some other hobby, he told her she just needed to ask, and he would get it for him. He made sure she ate or had food around. And still, he had not asked a thing of her. He hadn’t even asked her to use her blood for anything. He let her be and it was becoming frustrating to her. Was this his punishment? Having her sit around and spend her time wondering what her family was doing in Mystic Falls without her? It wasn’t as if she even had a phone and most of the time had to wait around doing nothing while she waited for them to return from late-night feedings.

Now as she sat on the sofa that was in her large bedroom, and Klaus stood in the doorway with his curly hair that had slowly begun to grow longer, she found herself annoyed by his presence. It was a full moon tonight and she had been led to believe by Stefan that Klaus would be doing his own thing today. She had actually been looking forward to a day of not interacting with them after she had seen Klaus and Stefan kill four college girls that were somewhere around her age. One of them had reminded her of Caroline.

“Haven’t you ever heard of knocking? I know that had to be invented even before your dusty ass was born,” Andy commented as she kept her gaze down on the page she had been trying to focus on the last five minutes.

“Oh, so you _are_ in higher spirits today,” Klaus commented as he walked further into the room. “What are you doing?”

“Writing a Declaration of Independence. You are too taxing, British, and a dick,” She said as she finally looked up at him with an annoyed look.

He rolled his eyes, but an amused look crossed his expression. “I can see you’re reading. I was wondering what you are still doing in your pajamas at five-thirty in the afternoon.”

Andy closed her book and dropped her feet to the ground, a frown forming on her face. “Because they’re comfortable and I haven’t seen anyone all day. Sorry not all of us want to be in boots and Henley’s twenty-four-seven. I mean, it’s like ninety degrees out. Is a Henley necessary?”

“If we are going to critique one another’s style, then I would ask to sit down because this may take some time,” Klaus paused to put his hands behind his back. She watched him closely, wondering what he was doing. “I suspect this is you refusing my offer.”

Her brows furrowed for a moment of confusion until she had remembered what he had said to her the other day when they arrived in Atlanta.

_“Have you ever seen the city?” He asked as she gazed out of the large windows at the towering buildings._

_“No,” She answered curtly, unable to deny that she wanted to explore the city and see the sights. However, Klaus had made it clear that she was not to be out in public without him or Stefan. If she was able to even convince Stefan to go out with her._

_“On Wednesday, we can explore if you’d like.”_

At the time she had simply snorted and walked away from him, thinking it was all a load of crap. He hadn’t been mean to her, but other than getting her the necessities, he didn’t go out of his way to be nice to her. He didn’t even seem too interested in speaking with her until now.

“I’m not particularly interested in sightseeing with a murderer,” Andy said before she could stop herself.

He looked back at her in slight annoyance. “You would go with Stefan.”

“Stefan didn’t sacrifice people I loved,” Andy shot back as she stood from the couch. She folded her arms and looked at him evenly. “I have no interest in sightseeing with you.”

Klaus rolled his eyes. “Get dressed and meet me downstairs in fifteen minutes. We need to grab you something to eat anyway.” He turned and left her room immediately.

Andy found herself obeying his command, much to her chagrin. She wasn’t on vervain and he had compelled her to do whatever he asked when he asked. She slipped on a pair of jeans and a Rolling Stones tank top because even the air-conditioned house had gotten stuffy and she knew it had to be hot outside. After putting on a pair of shoes, Andy simply tied her hair back knowing she didn’t have enough time to do anything with it. By the time she made it downstairs, she found that she was kind of excited to see the city, even if she would have to spend it with Klaus. At least she would have Stefan to suffer with.

Klaus was waiting in the living room, just staring out of the window. He turned when she walked into the room and smiled. “Much better. Though I must admit, Homer was beginning to grow on me,” he said, referring to her pajama pants.

“I find it hard to believe you have ever watched TV,” Andy replied dryly.

“In fact, I watched the premiere of the show in 1989. Though, I must admit, not quite my taste,” Klaus walked over to her, giving her another appraisal before he raised his hand to gesture to the front door. “Are you ready?”

“Where’s Stefan?” She asked as she turned to glance up at the stairs. She hadn’t even seen him all day. Last night he and Klaus had gone on a late-night binger in the city. He might be recovering now.

“We will be alone for our excursion today,” He commented, turning to look back at her as he opened the front door. She looked back at him in uncertainty. She hadn’t been alone with Klaus since they had left town, even if she was it was only minutes before Stefan would come swinging in to “save” her. “Is there a problem?”

“No, not at all,” Andy replied stiffly as she briefly glanced back up the stairs. She let out a small sigh before she walked out of the house past Klaus, catching a glimpse of his grin as she did so.

* * *

“You’re awfully quiet,” Klaus pointed out as they rode down the street. He was sitting in the backseat of the SUV with Andy, watching her as she gazed out the windows at the passing buildings and people. “Back in that small town of yours, I felt as if I could barely get you to shut up.”

“Well, maybe because there’s not much for me to bug you about now,” she said, not turning to even look at him. Klaus smiled small and looked down at his hands.

Klaus wasn’t certain why exactly he kept Andy around. She constantly scowled and hardly spoke to even Stefan, though sometimes he would wake in the middle of the night and hear snippets of a conversation between the two. He recalled one encounter from the first week they had been on the road.

_“…should be getting ready for senior year,” His ears perked up as he caught the tail-end of Andy’s sentence. “Jeremy’s going into his junior year of high school. Jenna’s a vampire and while she has Caroline to help her, Damon is also still there. I shouldn’t have gone to Klaus willingly. I should have stayed and hoped that he would give me another year before I had to pay off my debt. You know, technically he just told me I had to do whatever he asked. He never said I had to leave town with him until I showed up with you for the cure.”_

_“I know. I’m sorry, Andy. You shouldn’t have to be here.”_

_“_ You _shouldn’t either. The things Klaus is making you do… Stefan, you have to let me know if it starts to become too much. I don’t care what Klaus will do, you need to run. It’s not fair to you. You’ve worked so hard to get where you are, and he ruins it with a snap of his fingers.”_

_Klaus tensed, wanting to go in there and let them know he had heard their entire conversation, but something stopped him. He wanted to hear what else they had to say, wanted to hear how exactly they thought they could get away from him._

_“I gave Klaus my word. I can’t just run away. He’d kill Damon.”_

_Andy paused for a moment before sighing. “_ Damn _Elijah. I told him if he couldn’t do it that it was okay. We should have never relied on him._ I _was so stupid for trusting him. I thought I could trust him.”_

_“Hey, you weren’t the only one, okay? We all trusted him. Don’t blame yourself, Andy,” Stefan said comfortingly, and Klaus couldn’t help the scowl on his face. He had a fear that the two of them would pair off and become buddies, leaving him to feel as alone as ever. “How are you doing? We never really got a chance to talk after…”_

_“I asked my biological mother to die so my aunt could live. I looked her in the eyes as Klaus sacrificed her. I couldn’t do anything as Klaus stood there and drained Elena of her blood. I shouldn’t have had to bury anyone, but fucking witches had to balance nature and keep Klaus’ werewolf side dormant. I’m beginning to think Bonnie’s the only good witch in the world… Enough about me;_ I’m _not the one Klaus is using as his little plaything, at least not yet. How are you? I mean, you had to leave a life you had built to save your brother’s life. And then Elena…”_

_“I could be worse,” Stefan said softly. They were both quiet for a moment before Andy spoke up._

_“As soon as Klaus gives you the green to go, you need to go, Stefan…_ Don’t _look at me like that. I’m not the one in danger of losing my humanity. Find Damon, he can help you. And then maybe someday, after I do whatever Klaus wants me for, I can go home.”_

_“I can’t just leave you, Andy.”_

_“You might not have a choice.”_

Klaus knew he hadn’t exactly been the ideal person to spend the summer with. He had no intention of forcing the doppelganger to be with him any longer than necessary. He wanted to teach those back in Mystic Falls a lesson for trying to kill him. He could have burnt the town to the ground if he wished, but instead, he decided that removing Andy and Stefan from it was enough. He had been fully prepared to sacrifice Jenna. However, when Andy showed up with Isobel begging on her knees to spare her aunt, it had thrown off his entire plan. He admired her devotion to her family and since Elena was going to die that night, he decided would spare Jenna for a price.

Having Andy with him was both a good and bad. Fortunately, it meant he had the blood of a doppelganger on hand at any time and their blood was powerful on its own. He had hoped it would keep those left in Mystic Falls from retaliating for Elena’s death or from doing anything stupid.

On the other hand, having a seventeen-year-old girl who hated him living in the same vicinity made it impossible to focus. He was certain she was doing her best to annoy him. She would ignore him given the chance but have no qualms about tapping her foot against the ground, clicking her pen, or pressing her pencil as hard as possible. She would say things about him behind his back but especially when she knew he could overhear. She was infuriating, and he was hoping he could give her some enjoyment today so that she would stop acting so down all of the time.

“I haven’t been to Atlanta in some time,” Klaus admitted as he looked out of the window. “I was here for a few years during the late eighties I believe. I do love Southern food, other than grits. I can’t see why people eat them.”

Andy finally turned to look at him with her nose scrunched in disgust. “I imagine blood and grits don’t really go together.”

He chuckled and shook his head. “No, I suppose the combination would taste less than pleasant.”

Andy watched him a moment before she spoke. “Is Stefan okay? I haven’t seen him around all day. And I don’t exactly have a phone to text him since you took mine.”

“I sent him out on an errand,” Klaus explained. When she looked at him with her eyebrows raised, he explained further. “He is tracking down a lead.”

“And why aren’t you with him?”

“And leave my doppelganger all alone?” She scrunched her nose at his statement, but they were both distracted when the car come to a stop. He smiled and looked out the window. “Ah, here we are.”

Klaus got out the car before speeding around to open Andy’s door. She scowled as she got out of the car and didn’t take the hand he offered to help her out. He closed the door behind her and turned to see her expression.

Her face lit up in wonder as she stared at the sign ahead of them. _Atlantic Botanical Garden_. He smiled and studied her for a moment. Her usual olive-toned skin was lighter—something he figured was because of how much time she had been spending inside recently. Her dark-brown almond eyes in that moment reminded him of Anastasia, causing a familiar ache he hadn’t felt in a while to pick at his mind. She often had the same doe-eyed, innocent look about her. Andy usually had a resting scowl on her face, at least from what he had noticed in the last few weeks.

“I thought we were sightseeing?” Andy asked him finally, her voice for once not having any hostility in it. He stepped forward to stand next to her, a smile on his face.

“I expect to be in Atlanta for a few more days. I figured it was best we start out with something small today especially at this hour,” Klaus said as he walked forward. She followed after him until she fell into a step next to him. “I was a bit afraid you would hate flowers. Or worse, have terrible allergies.”

“Fortunately, that’s Jeremy,” Andy answered as they approached the entrance. He had pulled strings so that they were the only ones here today other than the workers. He had wanted to take her to the aquarium but had wanted her to see the gardens first. After all, they could go to the aquarium tomorrow unless Stefan found the guy they were looking for. “Where is everyone?” she questioned, also taking note of the lack of patrons.

“The perk of being a vampire is that you don’t have to worry about waiting or anything, or being bothered by huge crowds,” Klaus pointed out as he walked through the gates without even stopping to speak to the workers. Andy followed beside him, looking over at him with an incredulous look.

“Please tell me this isn’t some pitch to become a vampire,” She stated in a flat voice.

Klaus rolled his eyes. “First of all, your blood would still be useful if you were a vampire, but nowhere as near as in it’s raw human form. Secondly, I have no intention of forcing you to do anything.”

Andy scoffed at him. “You forced Jenna to become a vampire. You forced Stefan to become a Ripper. You forced my loyalty by compelling me to do as you ask. Forgive me if I don’t entirely believe your intentions are pure.”

Klaus stopped walking and turned to face her with an exasperated look. “I turned Jenna because I had every intention of killing her. You meddled in my affairs when I gave you a fair warning to stay out of it. I didn’t force Stefan into anything. I gave him a choice: come with me or let his brother die.”

“That’s not much of a choice, is it? Though considering you daggered your brother as soon as you got the chance, I guess if you were in the same position as Stefan it wouldn’t have even been a choice,” Andy replied bitterly, causing Klaus to let out a chuckle. She narrowed her eyes at him and he shook his head at her.

“Your… _attachment_ to my brother is clear, but I suggest you leave my family out of it from now on,” Klaus said as he stepped closer to her, a dangerous look on his face.

“From now on, I’ll leave your family out of it,” She said in a monotone. He watched her for a moment, almost forgetting he had compelled her. Turning, he began walking again, though slowed his pace as they started down the pathway. There were flowers around them, but he had a specific place in mind.

“As for why I compelled you, well, I had to be sure you wouldn’t do anything stupid,” Klaus explained to her. “You proved that you are reckless and incredibly impressionable. Otherwise, why would you listen to Damon Salvatore? Had you let Caroline die, Jenna would have never been a vampire and you’d be back home with your hatred of me to sustain you for the rest of your natural life.”

“Sorry not all of us can be heartless pricks. Some of us have the terrible burden of feelings and caring for people other than themselves,” Andy responded as she fell into step beside him. She didn’t look over at him and kept her gaze focused on the shaped shrubbery they were passing.

“I don’t think I’m as heartless as you make me out to be,” Klaus said, the defensive note in his voice surprising him. He looked away from her and focused ahead. She didn’t even glance in his direction as she snorted with laughter. She thought he was joking.

“Tell that to all of the people you’ve needlessly slaughtered over the last few weeks. I’m certain that they would extol how virtuous you are, _sir_ ,” She emphasized the last word, mocking the fact that he had his men call him “sir.” In fact, one of the men had done it on his own and then it just stuck with everyone after that. Still, Klaus didn’t like being made fun of. He looked at her with a frown, but she was not even looking in his direction. For a few minutes, they walked in silence, with Andy stopping at some junctures to admire shrubbery shaped like an elephant and one shaped like a dog.

“Is there anything you particularly want to see tomorrow?” Klaus asked her. She shrugged and didn’t respond, instead she folded her arms across her chest and kept her lips in a straight line. “There is the aquarium, or there is a nice art museum I used to—”

“Why are you being so friendly?” Andy cut him off abruptly. She turned to face him with a hard look on her face. He sighed and rolled his eyes.

“Some gratitude would be nice,” he said as he continued walking, but she grabbed his arm to stop him. He turned back to look at her with an uncertain look in his eyes. Why did she care that he was trying to be nice to her? I mean, it was as she said to Stefan, she could be under his control the rest of her life. He didn’t care for a friendship, but some loyalty from her would be nice. “I figured you would prefer us on friendlier terms at the very least. You don’t exactly have many people to speak to.”

“You were going to kill Jenna to punish me. Hell, I traded in one of my biological parents, so she could live. This deal—all of this was you getting back at me. Don’t lie and say it wasn’t because you’re _not_ a kind man. You wanted to punish us for meddling in your sacrifice like you said,” She took a step closer to him, an angry look now in her eyes. “You already compelled me, so you know I won’t run. Frankly, I don’t see what the point of us acting like we like each other is. Unless you realized that the ultimate punishment would be to actively spend time with me. Bottom line is, I’m not Stefan and just because he doesn’t want to be your friend, doesn’t mean I have to.”

Klaus sighed and ran a hand over his face. “I don’t need you as a friend, love. Even if I did, I could compel you.”

“I wouldn’t be a friend then. Even now, I’m one of your mindless workers just waiting for you to give me something to do other than touring a freakin’ garden. Friendship is earned, not compelled. And typically, it starts off better than someone having a group of people murder each other.”

“So, you aren’t a fan of flowers, then?” he questioned, causing her to throw her hands up in frustration.

“You are so dense it is unbelievable,” She walked past him in a hurry. He sighed before turning to follow her, wondering what his reasons really were for bringing her out today. Was it just boredom? He knew that they hadn’t spent an extraordinary time together, or at least just the two of them. He spent a lot of time with Stefan one-on-one but hadn’t with her. Stefan, he had wanted as a friend, but honestly, he didn’t know what he wanted to do with Andy. She was a human. Other than the fact she was a doppelganger, he had no real interest in her.

He quickened his pace, coming to a decision as he fell into step beside her. If she didn’t put any effort into this, then neither would he. He had no interest in befriending her. This was going to be as uncomfortable as she would make it. Maybe she would learn her lesson what happens when you go against the Original hybrid.

* * *

“You know, Jeremy hates it when we come to the Grill,” Elena commented as she approached the table Jenna sat at, with Caroline by her side. She had chosen to sit outside in the sunny weather and had been searching new sites to see if she could find anything on Klaus or Stefan’s location. She had been waiting for Elena, so they could grab lunch together and just spend some time together. Between helping Damon track down Stefan in hopes of getting to Andy and also having to work, Jenna hadn’t really spent a lot of time with Elena or Jeremy.

“Well, that’s why we’re outside,” Jenna replied as she closed her laptop and put it away.

“You know it’s summer. You don’t have to do school work,” Elena pointed out as she and the blonde took seats across from Jenna.

“Grad school is a bit different than high school. There’s always something to do,” Jenna said, leaning back in her chair.

“How are you doing?” Caroline asked, her blue eyes finding Jenna’s.

Caroline had been an extraordinary amount of help in the last month. She had helped Jenna control her thirst and had helped her hunt animals to start off with. Just a week ago, Jenna had begun drinking from a blood bag. They hadn’t had any close calls, but to be fair, she hadn’t exactly been in public, not since Andy left. She had used up sick days at work for the first week, and then Damon had been enlisted to monitor while the school year finished out for Caroline.

Jenna did appreciate Caroline’s help, even if was a little too much at times. Without her, Jenna would have had to learn solely from Damon and, frankly, that was something she wouldn’t wish on anyone.

“I’m fine, really. It’s just we haven’t found anything new that could help us find Andy,” Jenna admitted with a sigh. The women halted their conversation as the waiter came over and took their order. As he left, Elena and Caroline both looked at the older woman with their eyebrows raised. “What?” she questioned with furrowed brows.

“He was blatantly flirting with you and you totally blew him off,” Caroline explained.

Jenna rolled her eyes. Frankly, she didn’t even remember what the man had said to her other than when he asked for her order. She didn’t even look up at him. “I doubt that,”

“Listen, I get that some bad stuff has happened, and maybe you don’t feel the same way for Ric anymore—”

Jenna was quick to interrupt the blonde. “Caroline, I–I appreciate the concern, but I really don’t want to talk about Ric right now, okay?”

Caroline nodded, a soft and sympathetic look in her eyes. “I know. But I just want you to know that I understand. I was with Matt when I was turned. Maybe not the best example, but Ric cares deeply for you. It may take some time before you’re ready, but I think he is willing to wait for however long.”

Jenna didn’t say anything in response. She appreciated the thought, but Alaric was something she couldn’t deal with now. Her priority was protecting her nieces and nephew, and she had failed at that. If she hadn’t been preoccupied with Alaric, maybe she would have known about the supernatural sooner and noticed weird things. She could have been more prepared for Klaus. If Andy hadn’t told her, she might have never even found out.

Ultimately, it was because of one mistake that Andy was with Klaus now.

_“Hello?” Jenna said as she answered the unknown number that had been calling her phone._

_“Jenna! I’ve been calling everyone, but no one will answer. Klaus is after me. I-I tried to run, and I think I lost him but I’m in the middle of nowhere.”_

_Jenna’s heart clenched as she picked up her car keys and stood to her feet. “Where are you? Do you know?”_

_“Just down the street from Wickery Bridge. I’m hiding in the woods, but you have to hurry…”_

_Jenna rushed toward the front door. “I am on my way now. Do not move unless absolutely necessary and stay quiet—” She came to an abrupt stop as she walked out of the house and was blocked by someone. Looking up, she came face to face with Klaus and fear flooded her._

_“There’s my girl. I’ve got some plans for you.”_

If Jenna had questioned it further, if she hadn’t just blindly run out, then Klaus wouldn’t have gotten her. Andy wouldn’t have had to make the deal, and wouldn’t have had to ask Isobel to die in place. Jenna had fucked up and Andy paid the price.

“Sheriff Forbes hasn’t found anything either,” Elena said suddenly, breaking the silence that had fallen over the three. “Damon called me earlier and told me he didn’t have anything new either.”

“You and Damon check in a lot with one another?” Caroline asked as she turned to look at the brunette.

Elena rolled her eyes. “Caroline, we both want to find Stefan and Andy. We can work together.”

Caroline scoffed. “I highly doubt he wants to find Andy or Stefan,” Jenna’s eyes went to her hands. After this morning, she didn’t believe that Damon cared much for finding Andy either. When Elena gave Caroline a chastising look, the blonde explained herself. “I’m just pointing it out. He did kind of lead Andy on. I mean, I remember multiple times when I was compelled by him that he was actively pursuing her. Then there was that whole mess of how he treated her after she knew. He wasn’t the nicest to her.”

“Damon cares for her. I mean, she was one of the only people who genuinely gave him a chance to begin with,” Elena argued as the waiter dropped off their drinks, promising their food would be back soon. “And Stefan is his brother, who left to save his life. Of course he’d want to find him.”

“I’m just saying—”

“Hey guys,” Jeremy said as he approached their table. Jenna smiled at him and his freshly cut hair. He returned a tired smile. A few weeks ago, Jeremy had expressed interest in getting a job. Jenna knew that Andy had always told him he could work with her at the Grill. Much to Jenna’s surprise, he had gone himself to Matt to ask about working there. Within a couple days, Jeremy was working at the Grill.

Sometimes Jenna would be eating there and catch a glimpse of him working, making her think of her MIA niece. She remembered the nights that she would come and sit in Andy’s section, the two of them would only get a few moments to chill with one another if it was a busy night, but on nights where Elena and Jeremy would join, they would play a game to see who could make Andy’s job the hardest by only with stupid requests that wouldn’t actually put any strains on her. Looking at Jeremy in his work shirt, Jenna’s heart ached for them all to be back together.

“Hey, Jer. How’s work going?” Jenna asked him.

“Uh, a bit busy, but nothing too bad,” He admitted before gesturing to the extra seat. “Mind if I join you guys? I’ve got a few minutes before I need to head back in.”

“Go right ahead,” Jenna encouraged. Once he was sat down, Jenna leaned forward and looked at her niece and nephew. “I was thinking we need to start family dinners on Sunday again. I know I’ve not been around a lot in some ways but… I think it’s been a while since we’ve all been together.”

“That is a wonderful idea, Jenna,” Elena said, a bright smile on her face. Jenna smiled, happy to see some joy in Elena’s eyes. Her nieces had been through a lot, and it had only been a month since Elena had been sacrificed. But she was strong and hadn’t let any of this get to her like Jenna had. Elena was confident they were going to find Andy and Stefan. Jenna didn’t necessarily believe they wouldn’t find them, but she knew that the chances were slim. She wanted to be optimistic, but being realistic didn’t hurt. Though, if Damon thought he was being realistic with his viewpoint that Andy should be left with Klaus, then perhaps she didn’t want to be realistic.

“Yeah. I-I think I work Sunday night? But we could do a lunch. Maybe Alaric could come?” Jeremy said, looking a bit sheepish at the mention of the history teacher. Jenna held back a sigh. She knew that Jeremy had been spending time with Alaric recently, even getting some training from him. She had nothing against Alaric. None of this was his fault. He just had the misfortune of being a reminder of her failure, then again, what wasn’t? It was almost all Jenna had thought about the past month. She had neglected her other charges, even if she believed she was doing okay.

“Sure. I’ll ask him,” Jenna said, keeping a smile on her face as she looked over to Caroline. “Feel free to join us. I would invite Bonnie, but she’s still out of town, right?”

“Yeah, she’ll be gone for another couple of months,” Elena confirmed.

Jenna spotted the waiter returning with their food. Jeremy stood and clapped his hands together. “I should probably get back, but I look forward to tomorrow. See you guys.”

As the waiter gave them their orders, Jenna finally looked up at the waiter. He had dark hair, olive skin, and thick eyelashes that framed his dark eyes. She chatted with him a bit before he told them to let him know if he needed anything. As he walked away, Elena and Caroline looked at her, curiosity and confusion on their faces.

“What?”

“Uh, nothing. Are… are you feeling okay?” Elena asked. “It’s just—one minute you’re quiet and…Uh, well, the next you’re… you seem happy.”

Jenna exhaled and shrugged as she put some salt on her fries. “I want to find Andy and bring her home more than anything—but I don’t need to neglect you two while we’re finding her. You deserve better than that.”

“You deserve better as well, Jen. Don’t forget to take care of yourself.” Elena said before she focused on her food as well. Jenna gave her a small smile before she looked down at her phone in her purse, wondering if Andy was getting her messages. Jenna couldn’t give up on her niece, but she would be damned if Andy came back to a family that hadn’t been a family since she left.

* * *

"You don’t like salmon?” Klaus asked her as she stared out at the view.

They had walked around the gardens, both silent and stewing in their own displeasure as the sun slowly set around them. After touring the Japanese, rock, and edible gardens, Klaus had directed them back to the Great Lawn area where a dinner was waiting. However, around the table, there were lights and a rounding pathway set up to get to the center. There was shrubbery that provided walls around the pathway that was about up to her waist.

It was a maze, and the two of them had argued while trying to find their way to the table. The path had been lit by lanterns. Andy had been to countless corn mazes in her life, but Klaus claimed he had been a navigator once. She ignored his advice and went her own way, leaving him behind.

Of course, when she had hit multiple dead ends, she began to grow angrier. Why did she have to do a stupid maze just to get something to eat? Looking up, she saw that Klaus had already made it to the table and was standing there with a smug look on his face. She flipped him off before she focused back on the maze. There was no way in hell he was going to discourage her.

As she had moved, he taunted her. “Do you need any help, love?” He would say. “I’ve already figured it out. One hint couldn’t hurt.” She would scowl but not even look in his direction. He was proving to be even more of an asshole that she thought, something she didn’t even know was possible to top.

Once Andy made it to the center, Klaus smirked at her as he held a chair out for her. “Wonderful job, love. You must have worked up an appetite.” Just to spite him, she had sat in the opposite chair he was at.

Now they were sitting at the table, both with their baked salmon and sides in front of them. Andy was looking around at the maze. Before she hadn’t been able to appreciate it because of Klaus’ taunts. Had he not been there, she might have even enjoyed doing the maze. Klaus always had to ruin everything.

“I guess I’m not hungry,” Andy replied, keeping her head turned away from him. She didn’t want to dine with him. She didn’t even want to be here with him. This was hardly him showing her the sights. This was just him being a dick while they walked around and looked at plants.

Klaus sighed and continued cutting his food up. He had dug into his food moments ago but now was looking at her with an annoyed look. “I don’t understand you, Andy.”

Andy rolled her eyes at him. “Am I supposed to give a shit if you understand me or not?”

“We’ve been traveling together for a month. I understand Stefan. He is at least trying to act as if he’s enjoying this. You, you don’t even try. At times, you don’t even seem concerned that I could kill you or any of your remaining family in Mystic Falls.”

“You must get off on threatening people. What the hell have I done in the last month to deserve that?” Andy clenched her jaw and finally looked over at him, her eyes burning with hatred. “Were Elena and Isobel not enough? Then again, when you compel anything you want, I guess nothing is ever enough for you.”

Klaus’ expression hardened, and he pointed his knife at her. “Had it not been necessary for the sacrifice, then I would not have hurt your mother and sister.”

“That’s bullshit,” Andy scoffed as she folded her arms over her chest. “I’ve seen you kill people, Klaus. You don’t even hesitate. Life means _nothing_ to you. If I hadn’t been a doppelganger and you ran across me on the street while you were even a little bit thirsty, you would have killed me in the blink of an eye. You don’t care about life, all you care about is your fucking hybrids. The only reason Stefan and I are with you is that Damon and I meddled in the sacrifice like you said. You wanted to give us a big ‘fuck you’ for even daring to mess with you. You compelled me for no reason other than to make me feel helpless and weak.”

Klaus stared up at her for a moment before he sat his silverware down and leaned back in his seat, a pensive look on his face. “Well, love, what would you recommend as punishment for your crime then? A slap on the wrist?”

“I didn’t commit a crime!” Andy shouted as she gripped onto the table. Her sudden loudness caused Klaus to look surprised for a second before he composed himself. “You were going to kill my friends. We did everything you asked but you took Caroline and Tyler. Don’t give me that bullshit that you wouldn’t have killed anyone that wasn’t necessary. You would have killed everyone in Mystic Falls if the wind blew the wrong way.”

“Did you expect anything different from me?” Klaus asked her as he leaned forward. “I am the Original hybrid, love. You don’t get a reputation like mine by letting others walk over you,” He paused for a moment, realization dawning on his expression. “You believed I would be like my brother. You really did fancy him, didn’t you? I imagine he was a little taken with you since you look exactly like his dead wife. I bet it burned you when he didn’t kill me. Perhaps you had gone to deal with me because you thought you wouldn’t have to fulfill it. That’s almost brilliant, love, but you underestimated the ties of family.”

“I hate you,” she said, feeling her throat beginning to close. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she felt beads of sweat forming on her forehead despite the cool air. She wanted to run away from him, but something was keeping her glued to her chair. Her short nails dug into the tablecloth as she glared at him over the candlelight.

“Am I supposed to care?” Klaus said, his words sounding as if they had come from her. The two of them sat there for a moment as they scrutinized each other. Andy was certain that beyond a doubt he was a piece of shit. She didn’t know why he was like this to her or anyone else, but she didn’t care. She just wanted to get away from him. She recalled his words from earlier, which had sent a chill down her spine. “ _And leave my doppelganger all alone?_ ” She wasn’t his; he might have compelled her, but he did not own her.

Damn the consequences. She wouldn’t be his little plaything. Not now or ever.

Andy stood to her feet and held her head high. “Let’s get one thing straight. I am not _‘your’_ doppelganger. I’m not some toy for you to claim and use as you want. Not everyone can be manipulated and compelled to do what you want. I’m no longer surprised that I haven’t seen one person that you either haven’t compelled or made a deal with. Everyone fears you, so congratulations if that was your goal,” She pushed her chair back and stepped to the side of the table. Klaus remained seated and watched her with an angry expression. “But you don’t scare me. Do you want to get back at me by killing everyone I ever cared about? Go ahead, but just be prepared for me hunting your ass down for as long as I live. You might not fear much, but I know you’re scared of dying. I saw you when Elijah nearly killed you. I _felt_ it. And I’d give anything to make you feel as helpless and weak as you make everyone else feel.”

“You felt it?” Klaus questioned, his brows furrowing as confusion overtook the anger on his face.

“Of course that’s the one thing you get from that,” she snarled as she turned and marched toward the maze. Klaus sped in front of, blocking her from leaving. She let out a scream of frustration before she shoved him, causing him to look at her in surprise. “Get the fuck out of my way! I want to leave!”

“Stop fighting me!” Klaus yelled back. She stopped, the command clear and she felt as if she was going to scream, but she couldn’t. She stood in front of him with slumped shoulders and involuntary tears coming to her eyes. She had no choice but to listen to Klaus and nothing killed her more. He had ruined what life she was able to have after her parents died. All because of a stupid curse.

Klaus looked at her, taking in her appearance. She hated that she was about to start crying in front of him. She hated herself for being so weak. She wasn’t strong enough to fight back against him. No, instead she had to sit here and take it. She didn’t look away from him though. She refused to back down even if she was on the verge of crying.

For a moment, she thought a sympathetic look may have flashed in his eyes, but it was so brief she couldn’t be sure. She was sure that it wasn’t even genuine. If he showed sympathy for anyone, Andy was certain it would mean the end of the world was coming.

“I think that this has been enough for tonight,” Klaus said after a moment. He turned and began walking through the shrubbery maze. Andy swallowed and blinked away the tears as she followed after him, wondering if there would ever be any way for her to run away.

* * *

Jenna stood at the door to Andy’s room. None of them had been in it since they had realized Andy had left. She opened the door and let it swing open on her own before she walked in.

The room looked drastically different than it used to. The walls used to be covered from corner to corner in different posters, from bands to movies. Now they were mostly bare, with a few exceptions of pictures Jeremy had drawn for Andy. The cream-colored walls made Jenna feel empty as she walked over to the bed.

The bed had a dark purple and black comforter on it. The rest of the room had simple furniture, just a couple dressers, a desk, and a couple side tables. They were all a mahogany brown and the tops were cluttered with papers, books, and CDs. Jenna glanced around the room, a smile curving on her lips as she spotted the pile of laundry in the corner of the room. She would have to wash those for Andy before she returned home.

Jenna walked over to the desk and looked through some of Andy’s sketches. The first few were just sketches of random people, then some of Courage the Cowardly Dog and other cartoons, but the ones on the bottom made Jenna’s breath catch in her throat. There were a few small ones of Elijah, but the ones that made her really pause were the ones of Klaus. She exhaled and picked up the sketches, looking at them with a heavy heart before she sat them back down. She knew that Andy had dreams of Klaus, but the drawings unnerved her. She didn’t want to be in here anymore.

Just as she started to turn away from the desk, her eyes caught sight of a chess piece. Her brows furrowed as she reached for it. Andy didn’t even know how to play chess. Picking up the piece, she noticed an envelope sat beneath it. She studied the chess piece for a moment before she picked up the envelope and turned it over to see “Andrea” was written in cursive. The handwriting was beautiful and looked like a masterpiece of its own. Jenna knew Andy’s handwriting was sloppy and her cursive looked even messier, and why would she have even left herself a letter?

A part of Jenna was tempted to open it, but she didn’t want to break Andy’s trust even if she wouldn’t know. She already felt like she had by even looking through Andy’s sketches without her permission. She sat the chess piece down and envelope back down before she turned to leave, only to notice that Damon was standing in the doorway.

“That’s some restraint there,” Damon said as she turned to face him.

“It’s her stuff. I’m not going to open something she might not want me to see,” Jenna said as she walked toward him and pushed him out of the doorway, making sure to close the door behind her. “I didn’t think you’d be here still. Figured as soon as Elena was safely tucked in you’d run to find comfort in the arms of my friend.”

“You’re the one who introduced me to Andi,” he stated as he followed her downstairs.

“Don’t remind me,” she said with a shake of her head. She headed into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of wine, but didn’t offer Damon one. He didn’t ask for one either.

“I know you’re angry with me,” he began.

“Hell yeah I’m angry with you,” Jenna snapped as she turned to face him completely. “You looked at me and told me that we should leave Andy with Klaus even though she’s in the exact same position as Stefan. You actually believed that I would leave her to that monster for potentially the rest of her life.”

“I never said that,” Damon said, his tone slightly defensive. She glared at him and began to berate him, but he was quick to interrupt. “Listen, even if we find them, Andy and Stefan might not be willing to come home because of the risk it would put everyone else—especially Elena—at if they broke their deal with Klaus. I want you to be prepared for that because while I have seen my brother when he’s off the rails, we don’t know what Klaus has done to her. She could be a Ripper for all we know if he turned her into a vampire. You need to prepare yourself for what we might find because I can guarantee you, she won’t be the same. You need to prepare yourself to deal with that guilt because I know you blame yourself for her being with Klaus.”

Jenna swallowed and stared into Damon’s icy blue eyes with a somber look. She hadn’t expected any of that from him, but he was right. She needed to be prepared for all of it. From the looks of it, he knew why she had been upset and why she felt guilty because Stefan had given up his life for him.

Jenna turned and poured a glass of wine before turning to offer it to him. “You better be glad you gave that speech. A moment longer and I was going to ban you from the household for the rest of eternity.”

Damon held out his glass. “To finding our stupid family who doesn't know how to let us die.” Jenna exhaled and clinked her glass against his. The noise echoed just as his words did with her.

* * *

Andy stared up at the ceiling in her room. After their argument, she and Klaus headed back to their place. Andy had jumped out of the car before it even stopped and rushed to her bedroom. She didn’t want to give him an opportunity to speak to her.

She wasn’t even sure how long she had been lying in bed. Klaus had taken her phone and Stefan still wasn’t around so there was no one she could vent her frustration with Klaus. Instead, she was trapped in a house with him, and that made her feel weak and helpless once again. She hated feeling this way. She hated that Klaus made her feel this way.

Just as she was about to drift off to sleep, a knock on the door caused her eyes to fly open. Andy sat up and stared at the darkened outline of the door. “Go away,” she said after a moment.

“I just want to talk, love. I don’t want to fight with you.”

“That’s unlikely,” She laid back down and tried to get comfortable, but she knew she wouldn’t be able to go to sleep knowing he was outside of the door.

“Andy. Just—I am _asking_ you to give me a few minutes.”

“Fuck. Off.” She had taken note that he hadn’t demanded she opened the door yet. It was a matter of time before he commanded her to or before he broke the door down himself.

“Perhaps tonight didn’t go the way it should have tonight. If you hadn’t—”

“If you’re about to put the blame on me, I will keep this door closed forever,” Andy stood and crossed the room to the door, but she didn’t open it. There was a moment of thick silence before she spoke up. “If you’re going to talk, talk. We don’t need to look each other in the eye.”

Klaus hesitated before he spoke, making Andy think he had walked away. “You said you felt my fear the night of the sacrifice. What did you mean?”

Andy sighed and leaned her back against the wall. “I don’t know, Klaus. All I know is one minute I’m okay standing on my feet and the next I feel like my bones are breaking all over and my skin feels like it’s peeling off. I–I felt like I was dying.”

He was quiet for another moment. “Your dreams… Are they just of the past? Or—”

“I’m not psychic. If I was, do you really think I would’ve let you turn Jenna into a vampire?”

They both remained silent for a minute. Andy could hear his breathing and leaned her head back against the wall. Why couldn’t he just leave her alone?

“I’ve got something for you,” he said.

“Not interested,” She walked away from the door and headed toward her bed. There was nothing they needed to talk about. She had already spoken to him more than she should have. As she climbed onto the bed, something slid under the door. She turned to see it was a little black box.

“Consider it a peace offering, love. Don’t stay up too late. We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow. Goodnight, Andy.” She waited until she heard him walk away before she stood up to inspect the gift. Picking up the box, it was a little heavier than she expected. She opened the top and found a cell phone within. It wasn’t her old one, but it was more expensive.

What was wrong with Klaus? He wanted to act like they were friends, then when she called him out on his bullshit he treated her like she was the monster. Now he thought he could make it better just by giving her a phone? He had to know that she couldn’t contact anyone in Mystic Falls because, if she did, then that would only encourage Damon to keep looking for them. It would also put Elena in harm’s way.

Andy tossed the phone on the nightstand, not caring to check for damages as she climbed into bed. If Klaus wanted peace, then he would have to try a hell of a lot harder to earn it.

**_~ * • ° • ° • * ~_ **


	20. Relapse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me on tumblr! My personal tumblr is oakenlass, but it's mess. My writing account I have just set up is the-writ-of-oakenlass. I take requests and there will be updates on chapters for this story and others i'm working on. There will also be extra things such as previews, edits, and other fun information. Enjoy the chapter!

**_Poison & Wine ~ Chapter XX_ **

**_~ * • ° • ° • * ~_ **

“You scowl so often I’m surprised your face isn’t stuck that way,” Andy didn’t look up as the hybrid walked out of the back door, she just kept sketching. She had been enjoying the quiet morning, waiting for the sunrise. It was one of the few times she could be by herself, but Klaus wouldn’t even allow her that. In the month that had passed since their little confrontation in Atlanta, the two of them had been seeing more and more of each other. Fortunately, she had been spared another day of sightseeing with him when Stefan returned, and they booked it out of the city to chase the lead down.

It had nearly been two months since she had left Mystic Falls with him and Stefan. Two months since John and Isobel had died and two months since Stefan had begun killing again. In the last few weeks, they had been all over the south looking for werewolves. The furthest they had gone was Florida, where Klaus had some contacts spot werewolf activity. However, by the time they had arrived and located the area, the pack had moved. A man had directed them back up to Tennessee to two women who were close with the specific werewolf—a man by the name Ray Sutton—that they were tracking. Klaus had left her here by herself while they had gone to get the information and she hadn’t argued. Every once in a while, she would dream of something other than Stefan’s victims.

Surprisingly, ever since their time in Atlanta, Andy hadn’t ever felt threatened by Klaus or Stefan. She had become to feel almost safe in their presence, though the faces of their— _Stefan’s_ —victims were etched into her memory. She felt guilty because she wasn’t strong enough to stop them. Every time Klaus had Stefan kill somebody—or if Klaus killed someone himself, it chipped away at a piece of her. The only thing keeping her holding on was Jenna and her siblings. She needed to return to them, and if it meant damning her soul in the process, then she would do whatever it took.

Klaus hadn’t asked anything of her still. In fact, he hadn’t even ordered her to do anything. No, all he had done was try to speak with her, and buy her stuff she never asked for. She had acquired sketchbooks and other novels she hadn’t even told him she liked. It didn’t make her speak to him any. Stefan avoided talking to him as much as possible, but he even spoke with Klaus more than she did. Sometimes she would scarcely say a word to him a day. He never complained, he simply let her be, which made her wonder why he had brought her with him in the first place. Ever since Georgia, Klaus had tried speaking to her more often, but she would always shoot him down. She didn’t want to be his friend, nor would she ever.

Stefan hadn’t interacted with her much either. Sometimes he would sit with her and they would watch the sunrise in silence. However, Andy knew the guilt was already eating him away. She knew he was holding on for Elena and for Damon, but she didn’t know how long she could hold on. She hated Klaus for doing this to him, for doing this to her. She and Stefan had lost everything when they left town with him.

“If I’m lucky it will. Takes a lot of effort to hate someone,” Andy replied dryly. “At least this way I don’t have to go out of my way to showcase my hatred for you. It will come naturally, as it should.”

Klaus chuckled as he sat in the chair to her right. “I suppose it is foolish of me to believe you would like to be around me. You haven’t exactly been friendly since we left Georgia.”

“You don’t make it any easier when you have Stefan rip people apart,” She said harshly, her brow furrowing as she focused on the face she was drawing.

“It’s for the greater good, love. I need these hybrids,” Klaus explained, leaning back in his chair. They sat in silence for a moment before he couldn’t take the lack of sound. “I suppose you couldn’t sleep either? Or are you just a fan of the sunrise?”

“It’s kind of hard to sleep when you’re sharing a house with two people who murder at least three people a day,” Andy pointed out, pausing to look up at him. “And yet you’re still surprised Damon has been able to track us so closely.”

A couple weeks after they had set out, Damon had apparently picked up on the trail of Stefan’s bodies. He had gotten close to finding them a couple times, but Klaus was always two steps ahead and always knew when Damon was coming straight for them. They would clear the area before Damon even got in the same state.

“It must make your heart flutter when you imagine Damon searching under every rock to find you,” Klaus commented.

Andy rolled her eyes. “Don’t sound so jealous. It’s not a good look.”

He scoffed. “I believe Damon Salvatore is the last person I would be jealous of.”

“Well, I’d choose him over you any day,” Andy said coolly as she began adding the finishing touches to the sketch. She knew what today was. She had been keeping up with the days and knew that today was supposed to be special for her and Elena; it was their eighteenth birthday. They had spoken of this day for years, both dreaming of the day when they would be legal. However, instead of spending it with her family, she would be stuck with Klaus and Stefan for her birthday and be forced to watch them kill more people.

“You weren’t exactly subtle with your envious looks toward him and Elena,” Klaus commented, causing her to look up at him finally. He had allowed his hair to grow out over the last few weeks and the curls were beginning to show. Oddly enough, she hadn’t experienced any more dreams since she had left Mystic Falls, though she couldn’t forget about when she felt everything he had. He hadn’t questioned it either, which she assumed was because he had been too distracted with his own pain at the time to really notice. He had questioned her more about the dreams, but the answer was always the same. They were in the past and in them she was Anastasia.

“What can I say? I get jealous. He does have the prettiest blue eyes I’ve ever seen, anyone would want them. It’s almost as if I’m human and can experience human emotions,” Andy replied as she turned her attention to the slowly brightening sky. If she didn’t want to see it so badly—to know that it was the same sun that Jenna, Elena, and Jeremy were looking at—then she would have already left Klaus without a word. But she would be damned if he ruined this for her. She was out here first.

“Jealousy is a reaction to the threat of losing something. Envy is a reaction to lacking something.”

“Wow, you must be so popular with the ladies,” She muttered as she went back to drawing. He chuckled and continued watching her. He had increasingly watched her, which she had once believed was to gauge her reaction. Honestly, it could have been anything, but she found herself not caring what he thought anymore. She had become almost numb to seeing people die, but it was something she wouldn’t be able to forget. The screams still haunted her dreams. Every time she tried closing her eyes she would be back in the Grill, watching those people kill one another as the screams of Stefan’s victims rang out in her ears. Funny how it had been Stefan to help her that day.

“Some would say that, yes,” He said, hesitating before he continued. “I heard you attracted some suitors in your time as well. Tyler, Damon—”

“Tyler fucked my sister’s boyfriend’s sister the entire time we were together, and Damon wanted to fuck my sister the entire time. I’d hardly call them _suitors_ , though that’s really none of your business, is it?” Andy shot back. Klaus raised his eyebrows at her cursing but stood to his feet, his hands held up in defense.

“All I meant was that no lady should be treated as such.”

“Good thing I’m alive in the twenty-first century and most certainly not a lady,” Andy said, causing him to laugh again. She hated hearing his laugh. She didn’t want him to be entertained, not after everything he had done. “Then again, I guess your idea of wooing someone involves inviting them to tour a garden then spend the entire time patronizing them and threatening to kill what little remains of their family.”

Klaus paused for a moment before he nodded. “You’re right,”

“Don’t do that,” she snapped at him.

“Do what?”

“Don’t try to act like agreeing with me will change anything. You’re a dick and you assume that, if I hear something I like, then maybe I’ll start to warm up to you. _I_ _won’t_.” She turned her attention back to her sketchpad and bared down hard with the pencil.

“The mistake I believe you are making is believing I care whether or not you like me. As for my way of wooing someone, it would be much different. I assure you I have no intention of wooing you, Andy. I believe I’ve had enough experience with doppelgangers for an eternity. The other two were loads more fun than you,” Klaus said, causing her to look up at him with a scowl. He smiled small at her expression. “You don’t like being compared to them, do you?”

“Because I’m not them. Whatever weird thing you and Elijah had for them, I don’t care. Leave me out of it. I’m here because I made a deal with you to do whatever you say, not be the next notch on your belt.”

“You assume a lot, don’t you? Believe me, love, I have no interest in anything more than what your blood can do for me. You aren’t as strong as Stefan or me, so in a fight, you’re a liability. Frankly, I feel like you might be more comfortable speaking to others. Humans are social creatures and it seems Stefan hasn’t spoken more than three words to you in a while,” She gave him the stink eye, but he continued. “You rarely leave your room. On top of that, I noticed you haven’t called anyone…”

“That’s none of your business, Klaus,” Andy stated as she gripped her pencil tightly. No, she hadn’t called anyone. She knew if she heard anyone’s voices it would be enough to break her, and she was certain Klaus knew that. She couldn’t contact them either because that would give them hope, and they would come running to help her and Stefan. “And it’s not like I had friends before so really, this not socializing with anyone is more of a cakewalk than you would ever understand.”

“What do you mean? You had friends. Caroline, Tyler, Bonnie,” He pointed out, causing her to Andy roll her eyes.

“Don’t you have some innocents to slaughter somewhere?” She changed the subject as she looked up at the sky.

He was silent for a few moments before he spoke up. “I’ll fix you some breakfast before we get on the road. Eggs and toast?” He questioned, causing her scowl to deepen. She hated that he knew that was her favorite breakfast meal because it was the only thing her mom could half-decently make.

The only reason he knew was that he had hired a chef down in Florida and while he was out with Stefan, she had ordered them and got into a conversation with the chef since she had been starved for social interaction outside of Klaus and Stefan. However, the food didn’t taste right; they had been cooked too perfectly. The chef ended up telling Klaus everything she had told her. All about how her mother couldn’t cook very well and how the eggs had always been a little burnt and the toast even more burnt. Since then, Andy hadn’t gotten into a conversation with anyone Klaus hired or compelled.

Andy felt a wave of melancholy wash over her. On her and Elena’s birthday, their mother would fix some sort of fruit and yogurt smoothies, and would even crack out the waffle maker. Of course, often she had help from their father. It had been over a year now since their deaths and while this wasn’t the first birthday without them, it was the first one Andy had spent away from her family. Jenna had tried to replicate the meal last year and covered the kitchen with a smoothie. Instead, they had gone to McDonald’s.

When she didn’t answer, Klaus began to walk back inside. However, Andy spoke up right before he disappeared inside. She sat the sketchbook down and stared up at the horizon. “Waffles. Waffles and a yogurt smoothie. I don’t care what kind of fruit is in the smoothie.”

“I will see if we have the proper ingredients. Do you like anything in your waffles?”

“Chocolate chips.”

“Very well, Andy. I will see if we have the correct ingredients.”

She heard him go inside the house, but she stayed seated. It felt as if she was almost at home sitting on her front porched. She closed her eyes and could picture the white house she had lived in all her life. However, when she opened her eyes, she was greeted with the screen of the back porch of an unfamiliar home. A home of someone Stefan had killed after Klaus decided it was the best place to set up camp until they left to find the werewolf.

They had been moving around so frequently, there hadn’t been anywhere that they stopped to take a breath. Andy had noticed every once and a while that a storage truck would be following them. Once she had caught a glimpse of a coffin inside and realized that Klaus traveled with his family everywhere. A part of her had been tempted to find a way to sneak off and remove the daggers from his family but the more rational part reminded her how stupid she would be for trying that. Not only would Klaus probably kill her for it, there was no telling how many people he had around to protect them.

Her gaze went down to her drawing of her family. She had done her best to capture their faces, but she knew there were details she had gotten wrong. It had only been two months but some of the details of their faces were fuzzy.

As Andy sat there, she realized how odd it was that Klaus had offered to cook her breakfast. He had flippantly offered once before, but usually, he had a chef on hand or just got one of his compelled men to get her something to eat at a fancy restaurant nearby. Perhaps he saw it as a “reward” for her finally speaking more than two sentences to him for once.

Klaus still believed Elena was dead so certainly, he would think Andy had a good reason to hate him. Sometimes it was hard to read him. He clearly liked being the alpha male and had a flair for the dramatic, but he could be quiet as he sat and read a book in the corner as she was drawing. She often ignored his presence when he would sit with her, but he didn’t press her to talk at times like that. Sometimes she would even forget he was in the room.

Then there were the hybrids he wanted to create. She didn’t understand why he wanted to make hybrids. He was already strong enough to defeat anyone, why did he need an army? If he created more hybrids, then he wouldn’t be the only one. He wouldn’t be unique anymore. However, maybe that was something that bothered him. Elijah had told Elena that Klaus was only his half-brother and that Mikael, his father, had hated Klaus all their lives even before his parentage had been revealed. Being different was what caused Klaus to become a focal point for Mikael. She wanted to feel an iota of sympathy for him and what he had endured growing up, but after everything he had done, she found it difficult to even connect the man to the scared boy in the dreams she used to have. The dreams hadn’t come to her ever since she left Mystic Falls and she was glad.

As the sky started getting brighter, Andy kept her gaze on the rising sun as the first beams of light broke over the horizon. She stood and walked over to the screen door, running her hands along the wood. She had never thought she would miss Mystic Falls so badly. She had never really left Virginia before, only to go to the beach down in South Carolina. Florida had been a whole new experience, but the circumstances ruined it and it wasn’t like she got to do much sight-seeing that wasn’t tense because she and Klaus couldn’t get along. No, instead all she had really experienced was torture and murder.

Was this how the rest of her life would be? All her birthdays, spent with a man who had more or less forced her into this deal? Would she eventually become used to it? Would she even really end up caring at all? Would she ever see Jenna, Elena, or Jeremy again?

“Would you like to eat out here?”

She jumped slightly at his voice but kept her back turned toward him. “I’d prefer to, but I can make my own plate.”

“Nonsense,” She turned around in confusion when she heard a clinking sound. He was sitting a plate of waffles and a glass filled with a purple smoothie down on the coffee table. He disappeared for a moment before returning with butter and syrup, pausing briefly when he saw what she had drawn. He went back inside, and she sat down, hoping he would stay inside. However, she was sorely disappointed when he walked back out with a plate and smoothie of his own.

She sat down and silently poured some syrup over her waffles, knowing Elena would have been scrunching her nose because of the combination of chocolate chips and syrup. Though her sister would always end up doing the same and they would get tummy aches for a few hours, their mom always pointing out that they wouldn’t want cake later.

A part of Andy didn’t want to eat the food, but it smelled so good and the last time she had a homecooked meal was over a week ago. By the look of the food, it would taste like a restaurant and not some dingy diner food that she enjoyed with Jenna.

“Not ready to dig in?” Klaus commented as he set his plate down on the table and took a sip of the smoothie.

“Please tell me you didn’t put blood in here,” Andy said, looking up at him with an unimpressed expression. She would compliment him when hell froze over.

Klaus rolled his eyes. “Of course not. I told you this. If I wanted to give you my blood, I would have already done it. And I would have asked before.”

“Something makes me doubt you’d ask my consent before anything, least of all spiking my food with your weird hybrid blood,” Andy shot back as she picked up the smoothie. She had to hide her pleasure as she took a sip. For Klaus making it on the spur of the moment, it surprisingly tasted good. It definitely had blueberries and bananas in it. She set it down, keeping her expression neutral as she began to cut her waffles into large pieces.

“I told you I wouldn’t force anything on you, Andy.” She was shocked by the genuine hurt in his tone as if he were _offended_ she would suggest that. She looked up at him in uncertainty, her eyes narrowing slightly. “Do you really think that low of me?”

“You sacrificed my sister. You were willing to kill my aunt just to get back at me because I helped save people I cared about. All this knowing full well I hardly have any family left. And you compelled me to do whatever you ask, no questions asked,” Andy turned her attention back to her food. “To sum it up, yes, I do think that low of you. It shouldn’t be surprising after everything you’ve done. We aren’t even considering all the people you have slaughtered since I’ve been with you. Sorry if I don’t condone the slaughter of innocents.” Taking a small bite of the waffle proved to her that they were even better than the smoothie, much to her chagrin.

“I wouldn’t have killed your sister had it not been the curse my mother placed on me,” Klaus pointed out. He had said it so much that Andy was beginning to wonder if he genuinely believed it.

“You had a choice, Klaus,” Andy shot back as she looked up at him with a furrowed brow. “You had a choice not to slaughter a _seventeen-year-old girl_ who blamed herself for her parent’s death, who was the older sister to two. Elena had _never_ done anything to you. She did everything you asked. You killed her because you wanted to be stronger and more powerful than you were. I never even got to say goodbye to her, Klaus. You took her, and you took Jenna because you can’t stand when someone gets the better of you. But that doesn’t matter to you, does it? All that matters to you is that you’re the alpha male and that you have an army of hybrids behind you,” She threw down her silverware and stood. “I’m not hungry anymore. Maybe Stefan will want it.”

“Andy…” He began, but she turned to leave and walked past him. She was surprised when he didn’t try to stop her anymore. He had a displeased expression on his face but hadn’t questioned her as she left. _Good_ , she thought as she closed the door to her bedroom behind her. She had seen enough of Klaus for a lifetime.

* * *

"I didn’t know you were such a good waffle-maker,” Alaric commented as Jenna filled up a plate for Elena.

“Well, I’m quite the waffle master. My sister always had her husband make the waffles for the girls. The one time she tried, she nearly burnt down the house. Don’t tell Elena, though,” Jenna replied with a lopsided smile as Alaric moved to sit the smoothies down.

“Your secret is safe with me,” He promised, returning her smile. She gazed into his blue eyes, for a moment getting sucked into his orbit again until the sound of Elena’s footsteps echoed in her ears. She turned to see her niece was talking on the phone, stopping in the living room to look at the news on TV.

“I never said yes in the first place,” Elena chided as Jenna smiled small to herself. Caroline had decided to throw a party for Elena’s birthday tonight, something that Jenna was strangely excited for. Another month had passed, and they hadn’t gotten any closer to finding Stefan and Andy. Jenna hated that Andy wasn’t going to be here to celebrate it, but Elena needed a night to unwind. She had been tirelessly working to track down her sister and boyfriend in the last couple of months. Jenna knew she just needed to relax and forget about their problems for one night, even if it wasn’t going to be ideal.

“ _You were never going to which is why I planned it anyway_ ,” Caroline pointed out. “ _And my mom wants you to call her._ ” Jenna’s ears perked up and she glanced at Alaric and gestured to him. They walked into the doorway of the living room just as Elena turned to look at them.

“Did she find something?” Elena questioned the blonde.

“ _An animal attack in Memphis. It's the third one this week in Tennessee_.”

Shit, Jenna thought. She was hoping she would have gotten to the Sherriff before Elena this morning. “And you're sure it's a vampire?” The three of them exchanged looks.

“ _Yes, but that doesn't mean that it's Klaus_ ,” Caroline reminded her gently.

“Doesn't mean it's not. I'll call her,” Elena promised. “Oh, Caroline, just... keep tonight small. Please?”

“ _Wear something pretty_.”

“Ugh!” Elena sighed as they hung up and she looked up at the two.

“Was that uh... Stefan news?” Alaric asked. Jenna had forgotten he hadn’t been able to overhear the conversation.

“Could be more Klaus victims,” She answered, some hope in her voice as she looked at her aunt in excitement.

Alaric exhaled. “You certain they’re still with him?”

“Easy to be certain when the alternative is that they are dead,” Elena pointed out, causing them all to fall silent for a moment. Finally, Jenna cleared her throat and stepped to the side, revealing the breakfast laid out on the kitchen table.

“Happy Birthday!” She cheered, causing a half-smile to break out on Elena’s face. They all sat down and began eating, the conversation light-hearted and focused on anything except what was going on with all of them. Jeremy eventually came downstairs and grabbed a quick bite to eat before he left for work. When Elena had gone upstairs to call the Sherriff, Jenna pulled Alaric to the side.

“We can’t let Elena investigate those bodies,” She pointed out. “I’ll keep her busy all day, but you and Damon should check them out. They might turn up nothing, but it’s worth a shot. Maybe we will find some proof that Andy is still with him.”

Alaric nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I’ll go ahead and call him. I was wondering if you… well, if you wanted to be my date tonight. I figured since we’re both going to be unofficial chaperones…”

Jenna hesitated for a moment. In the last month, she and Alaric had been working together to track Klaus, but it had been quite some time since he had tried to ask her out. She was still certain that they were better off alone, but for some reason, she did find herself missing him at times when she laid awake at night.

“That… would be nice,” she answered finally, knowing that she very well may regret it. However, the way Alaric smiled at her before he told her goodbye alone made it worth whatever pain this may bring.

* * *

“Have a nice breakfast?” Stefan questioned as he walked into the living room to find Klaus with a sketchpad.

Klaus rolled his eyes and didn’t glance up at his friend. “Is she always so ungrateful? I thought a month after Atlanta she would have improved a little. Must be the teenage hormones.”

“Well, you _did_ sacrifice her twin and biological mother. Oh, and turned her aunt into a vampire before whisking her away from her only surviving family,” Stefan pointed out. “And you made her cry in front of you. That’s not something she’ll ever forget.”

“I could have killed her and you. You both _did_ try to kill me,” Klaus countered as he turned to face Stefan. He sat his sketchpad down and stood to his feet. “And I had no immediate plans to remove her from Mystic Falls. _She_ came to _me_. I was at least going to let her finish this school year.”

“I didn’t think an Original would value education.”

“I’m not a caveman, Stefan. She’s barely legal,” Klaus said as he listened to see if he could hear her moving around upstairs. Stefan sighed and looked down at his feet. “Is she even awake right now? We need to get to the bar before our werewolf does. If he gets away—”

“I’ll go check,” Stefan said, quickly walking out of the room. Klaus pursed his lips but moved to sit in the living room as he listened in. He heard Stefan knock on the door. “Andy?” After a moment, he heard footsteps and a door open.

“I guess I have no choice but to go out today, huh?” Andy asked. It was nearing three, and from the tip they had gotten about the werewolf they were looking for, he usually hit the bar around four.

“I’m sorry,” Stefan murmured, making Klaus wonder why she didn’t feel like getting out of the house today. She had been holed up for the last couple days, so he would have thought that she would be excited to see other humans.

“It’s bad enough I had to spend the anniversary of my parent’s death in a car.” Klaus sighed and leaned back into the cushions. Last month, he hadn’t realized it was the anniversary of her parent’s death either until she refused to eat dinner with him and even destroyed some of his sketches by throwing water on them. He had grown angry and nearly went after her when he discovered it, but she had locked herself away in her room and he didn’t want to destroy the hotel. However, Stefan had explained why the day was a tough one for her. It was the official one-year anniversary after all. Klaus almost envied the love she had for her parents. He had once felt the same for his mother, but that feeling had faded long ago.

“Going out today will be good for you though. There will be other people other than Klaus and me,” Stefan said. “You can’t spend all your days locked up.”

“Good for making me feel like I’m a prisoner. I guess it’d be closer to indentured servant.”

“Maybe I can see if we can pick you up a special dinner tonight. I could cook you something?” Stefan offered.

“Why, Stefan, you are a true southern gentleman,” Andy said in a thick Southern accent. “How can my poor heart handle this generosity?”

“Well, Miss Gilbert, it would be a shame to leave you alone on a day special as this.”

Andy snorted. “Yeah, special. Now scram so I can change.”

When Stefan came back downstairs, Klaus acted as if he hadn’t heard anything. He wondered why today was special and wanted to ask, but he also didn’t want to seem overly interested in Andy. This was a punishment for her and she shouldn’t be a concern to him. He had shown her more kindness these last few weeks than he had ever intended to, especially after what had happened in Atlanta, but perhaps it would make her more willing to work with him in the future should he need her.

“So, what _is_ the plan for today?” Stefan questioned as he stood in the doorway of the living room.

“Find Ray, find out where his pack is, and turn him into a hybrid,” Klaus explained. “And by tomorrow night, I should have myself a pack of hybrids.”

“You know he’ll resist.”

“And that, my friend, is where you come in.”

Stefan was quiet for a moment before he walked further into the room. “I have something to ask of you,” Klaus raised an eyebrow at him. He certainly had some guts to ask a favor of him so soon after he had saved Damon’s life. “Would you let Andy call Jenna and Jeremy?”

Klaus watched Stefan through narrowed eyelids. “She didn’t tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

“Huh,” Klaus drummed his fingers on the armrest. He had wondered why Andy hadn’t placed any calls in the last month. His men had told him they hadn’t heard anything while Klaus would be out. “I gave her a cell phone last month. I’m surprised she wouldn’t have been texting you in the dark of night looking for a friend. Then again, you barely speak to her anymore. Do her almond eyes remind you of someone else?”

Stefan pursed his lips and glanced down at the floor before meeting his gaze with a hard look in his eyes. “I think it was a mistake bringing her. She’s human. She can’t turn off her emotions. No matter what you do, she’s always going to love her family and want to return,” He pointed out.

“I wasn’t aware you had so much interest in this doppelganger,” Klaus taunted as he drummed his fingers on the chair. “I assumed your affections only went as far as Elena. Then again, I forget how soft you are even now…” He stood and walked over to the Salvatore. “Tell me, what was your first impression of her? Personally, I found her to be childish and a bit melodramatic. Still, do if I’m being honest.”

Stefan looked away for a moment before he answered. “I met Andy before anyone else in Mystic Falls. She was serving me at the Grill and it was her first official shift back. She asked me what my name was, then paid for my meal when she found out I was new to the town. Then I saw her argue with Tyler Lockwood. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone curse as much as she did in one sentence alone.”

“So, she does have some kindness in her,” Klaus commented as he raised an eyebrow.

“Toward people who don’t sacrifice her family and compel her,” Stefan added, causing Klaus’ face to fall. However, before he could chide or respond to Stefan, Andy came walking downstairs. She wore a pair of short overalls and wore a white, short-sleeved shirt underneath. On her feet, she donned a pair of dark boots, and her hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail. She slid a pair of sunglasses on and looked at them expectantly.

“Well, are we going or what?”

* * *

Andy sat silently on the pool table, rolling the balls around the green felt with her hand. She watched as Stefan went around to all the patrons and questioned them before compelling them to not intervene whenever Ray arrived and to forget about this day as soon as they went home for the night.

“You’re looking quite pale, love. Perhaps a meal will be good? You didn’t finish your breakfast this morning,” Andy remained quiet as he came to stand next to her. She continued watching Stefan for another moment before she turned her head to look at Klaus with a fake smile.

“I’m fine. Besides, if I eat anything before you inevitably make Stefan slaughter all these people, I’ll probably upchuck on those expensive boots of yours,” She commented, her gaze roaming over his outfit. He wore a light gray and long-sleeved Henley shirt with a pair of dark jeans. He had multiple necklaces on and a leather bracelet. His boots were black, and his curly hair framed his face. She didn’t know how he could wear such an outfit when it was so hot out. Even she had turned to a pair of overalls, so she wouldn’t be restricted by clothing. The bar was already warmer because the AC was broken.

“I don’t make Stefan do anything, love. He came here of his own choice.”

“Because you made him make the deal to save Damon’s life,” Andy pointed out. “We’ve been over this multiple times and the argument never changes.”

“Is that how you view your situation?” Klaus questioned as he moved to stand in front of her. She leaned back slightly, her hand clenching the cue ball. “You see me as a monster who forced you into making a deal. I didn’t force you to make or agree to the deal.”

Andy remained quiet. He was right, he didn’t force her. But he still kidnapped Jenna and was planning to use her. Maybe he didn’t anticipate her coming in to make a switch, but he made her desperate. He forced her into a corner. She wondered if she would get a chance to smash the cue ball against his skull before he could stop her.

“You may start having more fun if you let yourself,” Klaus commented as her gaze bored back into his. “I might not be half as bad as you think.”

“Is that how you view me? As some self-entitled _child_ who is too stuck up to enjoy your sophisticated company?” She unfolded her legs and hopped off the table, gazing up at him with a furrowed brow. She wanted him to know that she had heard his conversation with Stefan. “How many times do I have to say this? You killed Elena _and_ you were prepared to kill Tyler, Caroline, and Jenna. It’s my eighteenth birthday and I have to sit here and watch you and Stefan murder—”

“It’s your birthday?” The look on Klaus’ face confused her. He looked genuinely surprised and guilty for not realizing it was her birthday. She folded her arms and swallowed nervously, realizing how close they were because she had stood up.

“Yes,” She mumbled, looking away sheepishly and taking a step away from him.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Hey, Klaus, FYI, it’s my birthday. You know the thing I shared with my twin who you sacrificed over an altar of fire? Maybe we can go clubbing later once you’re done with your daily dose of torture and murder,” Andy said bitterly before she went to walk away from him, but he stopped her by grabbing her wrist. She looked at him expectantly, but he simply looked at her, dumbfounded. “What?” She demanded as she yanked her arm away from him finally.

“Why…” Klaus’ eyes roamed the room before landing on the pool tables. He turned to look at her again. “Why don’t we play a round of pool before Ray gets here?”

“I’m good,” Andy said with a scoff as she turned and walked toward the restrooms. Once she had disappeared behind the door of this small sanctuary, she was tempted to sit on the floor until she glanced around. The bathrooms weren’t terrible, but she highly doubted they cleaned them every night. Instead, she walked over to the sink and splashed some water on her face.

What was her family doing right now? Were they already cooking dinner and getting the cake ready? Last year Jenna, Jeremy, and Elena had visited Andy in rehab for her birthday. She hadn’t been able to leave the facility, but they had cooked a meal and snuck in a piece of chocolate cake. They had watched a movie on Jeremy’s shitty laptop and laughed for hours until they had to leave. Andy hadn’t had a normal birthday in two years now.

She wanted to see them again. She hadn’t realized how much until today when it hit her that this could be the rest of her life. Travelling with Klaus and Stefan looking for hybrids and murdering people. None of this would have happened if Elijah had kept his word. Had he killed Klaus, things would be drastically different. Andy could have helped him find his family, who turned out were just in coffins Klaus traveled everywhere with.

Andy had to wonder if Klaus would ever remove the dagger from Elijah. She hadn’t seen Elijah angry, but she had seen him kill multiple people. She would imagine him angry would be a fearsome sight to behold, especially because it was Klaus who had betrayed him. Andy didn’t know what Elijah expected from Klaus. Why would he want to wake up the very people he had put daggers in? If they were woken up, they would probably all want a piece of him.

Klaus’ words from a month ago still haunted Andy. “You believed I would be like my brother. You really did fancy him, didn’t you? I imagine he was a little taken with you since you look exactly like his dead wife.” He had confirmed that Anastasia and Elijah had been married. She hadn’t expected it, but somehow it made sense to her. Maybe that was why Andy had always felt as if she could trust him, though that did her no good in the end.

A scream of pain broke Andy from her thoughts and she quickly exited the bathroom, glancing around in worry. Her eyes widened when she saw the scene before her.

A man—who she assumed was the werewolf Ray—was chained to the wall, and had two darts sticking out of his chest. Stefan was sitting at the table across the wall and was stirring a glass of a drink with wolfsbane in it with the end of a dart. He took it out and threw it at him, causing Andy to flinch. It landed in his shoulder with a thud and Ray groaned in pain. Klaus was just sitting next to them and watching. Everyone else was acting as though nothing unusual was going on.

“Come on, Ray. Where does your pack gather for the full moon?” Stefan questioned. Andy hesitated before she made her way over to Klaus, not bothering to hide her disgust.

“Is this necessary?” Andy asked him. “I get vampires can’t compel werewolves, but do you really need to torture him? I don’t understand why you have to prove you’re superior to everyone.”

“You don’t get where I am today without proving your strength,” Klaus replied, his gaze glued to Stefan. “I have the kitchen preparing all of the items on the menu,” When she went to argue he interrupted her. “If you’re going to give me a heartfelt speech on how bad of a person I am, you can save that. I’m not killing anyone in this bar, Andy. Not on your birthday,” He looked over at her and gave her a significant look before he focused back on Stefan. “I have a car waiting outside should you wish to return to the house. Hopefully, this won’t take much longer.”

Andy watched Klaus for a moment, wondering why exactly he was having a “no killing” policy just because it was her birthday. She knew he barely tolerated her at times. It made no sense why that one birthday could mean that much, especially to someone like him. Sighing, she sat at the table behind the one Stefan was at, fixating her gaze on the scene before her.

“Ray, you can end this right now. Just tell me where your pack gathers for the full moon,” Stefan said before he threw around dart. The blood was beginning to drip down Ray’s body and Andy forced herself to watch. Even just by sitting by, she was a part of the problem.

“I _can't_ ,” Ray said with a groan. He looked at Andy as if pleading for help, but she simply turned her head away from him.

“I know, I know,” Stefan stood and walked over to the werewolf, leaning close to his face. “You live by a code and all that, but see he's not gonna let me stop until you tell me. And I do whatever he says so, that's the way it goes around here.”

Andy was suddenly distracted by the clacking sounds of heels. She turned to see a woman approaching Klaus. “Hello mister Klaus,” Andy had to hide a snort. Klaus had called her dramatic, but he was ten times worse. “I have some more information for you,” Stefan paused as well and turned toward them. He walked over and stopped over by Andy’s table. “You told me to tell you if I saw anything. I saw the guys spotted Damon at the farmhouse.”

Andy’s ears perked up and she exchanged look with Stefan. Damon was getting dangerously close on their trail. She wondered if anyone had been with Damon. “Well, thank you, Claudine. You'll just tell your friends to keep up the good work with the neighborhood watch,” Klaus said before the girl walked away from him. Stefan glanced at Andy before he walked over to Klaus.

“My brother still on our trail?”

“He's getting closer, I'm gonna have to deal with that,” Klaus stood and went to leave but Stefan grabbed his arm.

“No, no, no!” Stefan looked almost worried as Klaus turned back to face him with narrow eyes. “Let me handle it.”

“Why should I let you leave?” Klaus questioned.

“‘Cause, you'll know I'll come back,” Stefan replied.

“Do I?”

Stefan clenched his jaw. “You saved my brother's life; I'm at your service.”

“Ah, you sound so tedious and indentured. Aren't you even having the least bit of fun?” Klaus asked, pointing to Ray with a big smile.

Stefan paused for a moment. “I'll make sure that my brother doesn't bother us anymore,” He turned and walked away, leaving Andy truly alone with Klaus for the first time since Atlanta. There were times Stefan wasn’t in the same room as them, but she and Klaus hadn’t been alone in a place since Atlanta. Klaus looked over at her as he sensed her gaze and held it for a moment.

“No request to join him? I thought you would be interested in seeing your old flame, or the very least who might be with him.”

Andy snorted and turned her head to look at Ray. While a part of her wanted to see someone other than Klaus and Stefan, she knew if Damon got the chance he would steal her away. She wasn’t certain if Klaus would go after her immediately, but she knew he would come around eventually and would find out that Elena was alive. Breaking the deal was not something she wanted, especially because she had been involved in the plot to kill him.

“The food is ready,” The waitress said as she walked over to Klaus.

“Well, love, take Andy and show her the choices,” He stood and turned to Ray with a smirk. “I believe Ray and I need some alone time.”

Andy didn’t hesitate to walk with the waitress into the kitchen, acutely away of Ray’s screams of pain as she disappeared behind the swinging door. The waitress stood to the side while the cook explained what all the dishes were. Andy decided on one of the burgers but turned to the waitress hesitantly. Stefan had compelled them to obey everything they had asked.

A part of her wanted to call her family this entire month, but she didn’t know what area the number was from. If any of them suspected it was Andy, she was certain that they would use it to find her and Stefan. She couldn’t risk it. However, surely, they wouldn’t suspect a Tennessee phone number, especially one she would never use again.

“Do you have a cell phone?” Andy asked her. The waitress nodded and pulled it out from her pocket. She looked around the kitchen and noticed a radio. She turned it on and cranked it up. She hoped that between the music out in the main room and the kitchen Klaus wouldn’t be able to hear. She didn’t want Klaus to know she had called anyone. He would just use it to taunt her. “Let me use it really quick but don’t tell _anyone_ , either of you.”

The waitress handed her phone over and Andy hesitantly dialed the familiar number. She knew that if Klaus found out he would be pissed, but she needed to hear someone’s voice. She waited in anticipation, watching the door to the kitchen and waiting for Klaus to bust in at any moment.

After a few rings, the phone was answered. “ _Hello?_ ” It was Jenna and Andy closed her eyes at the voice, feeling a wave of emotions hit her. However, she heard sounds in the background. Music was blasting, and she heard people hollering in the background.

“ _Jenna, hurry up! The next round is ready_ ,” Andy heard another voice shout near the phone, one that sounded like Caroline’s. _Shots?_ Were they celebrating Elena’s birthday?

“ _Okay, whoever this is, grow up. I’m trying to have a laidback night for once_ ,” Jenna said, her words slurred. “ _And if you call back, I will find you and I will kill you_.”

Andy heard the phone hang up, but she was just going through the motions as she gave the phone back to the waitress. She wasn’t sure why she was feeling the sting from that. Why wouldn’t Jenna and Elena be trying to move on with their lives? _Andy_ was the one who made the deal, not them. Damon was looking for them… or maybe he was just looking for Stefan. His brother had sacrificed a part of his life for him. Why would he have any other reason to look for Andy other than Elena? And Andy had ensured that Elena hadn’t when she told Elena of her plan to hand herself over to Klaus before he sought her out.

Suddenly, Andy wasn’t feeling too hungry. She gazed out the window of the kitchen door to see Klaus was digging the darts deeper into Ray’s skin. Her gaze shifted to the bar where it would be easy for her to get a drink. It was as if her mind had turned autopilot on as she made her way to the bar and had the waitress bring her a bottle of whiskey and a glass. She poured herself a large glass and quickly gulped it down. She felt the familiar warm feeling rush to her stomach and her tongue cried against the sudden bitter taste. Her mind was blank as she slammed the glass back down on the counter.

“Everything okay, love?” Klaus asked. She could feel him watching her from the corner of her eye, but she didn’t turn to face him as she poured herself another glass. It wasn’t as if he had offered her a glass before, but every time she would decline and move on. He didn’t know about her past or if he did, he must not care. Either way, she could care less what he was doing at this moment because for once, it hit her that this would be her the rest of her life while Elena got to live happily with their family.

“Just peachy.”

* * *

“I am every parent’s nightmare,” Jenna said as she surveyed the room of drunk high schoolers through the doors. She was sitting outside on the porch with Alaric, the two of them arriving at the party not too long ago.

After checking the house in Tennessee, Alaric and Damon had discovered that the house belonged to werewolves and had counted it as proof that Klaus was trying to do something with hybrids. By the time they had gotten back, Jenna and Elena’s girl’s day had come to a close and they had all begun drinking. Jenna hadn’t even drunk that much despite the party going on for a little over an hour now. Alaric was a couple drinks in already.

“If anything, you’re doing better than I am. I’m most of these kid’s history teacher,” Alaric pointed out. Jenna smiled and clinked her red solo cup against his before taking a huge sip out of it. She was having fun, or at least the most she could allow herself to. Every now and again, she would catch a glimpse of a girl who looked similar to Andy and would feel a tug in her heart.

Alaric put a hand on her arm, drawing her attention back to him. “You okay?”

“I’m… I’m just thinking about her,” Jenna admitted as her gaze bored into his. “She would always try to act like she hated her birthday or getting presents, but it was just all for show. She loves getting gifts.”

Alaric smiled wearily and squeezed her arm in comfort. “We’ll find her, Jenna. Klaus can’t keep her forever.”

“Ric, you told me what that house looked like. What if Klaus had her watch that? Hell, he had people at the Grill try to kill one another right in front of her. There’s no telling what kind of hell he put her through. And there’s always the possibility he turned her into one…” She trailed off in worry, her hazel eyes focusing on her phone in her pocket. She had gotten a phone call from an unknown number right after she had taken a couple shots of tequila. She had brushed it off at first, but now that she wasn’t drinking as much, she was beginning to think that it wasn’t a coincidence that the number was from Tennessee when they had just gotten a half-lead from that state earlier.

“Hey,” He murmured. “I know it hasn’t been easy these last couple months. I can’t even imagine what you’re going through. Between finding out about all of this, then the business with Klaus, and the fact you were forced to become one… It’s a lot. And I know we haven’t been able to talk much about it, but I want you to know I’m here for you, okay? And I won’t stop until we find Andy and bring her home.”

A half-smile curled on Jenna’s lips. She grabbed his hand from her arm and squeezed it tightly. “Thank you, Ric. I-I have to admit that the lack of conversation between us has to do with more me than you. You have to understand how… weird this is now. Isobel—”

“She’s in the past, Jenna,” He assured her.

“For you… but she died so I could live. But I’m a vampire, just like she was. I’ll never be human again. I’m never going to grow old, Ric. _You_ will,” She stood and looked at him sadly. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have agreed to tonight. You… you deserve better.”

Jenna turned and headed into the fray of the party. As she walked into the house, she ran into the elder Salvatore, who was watching her with raised eyebrows. “Trouble in paradise?” he questioned.

“Fuck off, Damon,” Jenna said, annoyed by his sudden appearance. Damon stopped her from leaving and she looked at him with a glare.

“You and Ric—”

“That’s none of your business,” She interrupted before she continued past him. She headed upstairs and found herself calling the number from earlier. After a few moments of ringing, she was met with a voicemail of someone named Kelly. Sighing, she leaned back against the wall, for the first time in a while feeling a thirst overtaking her senses.

* * *

Klaus sighed as he realized Ray had passed out from the pain. He left Ray hanging up as he turned to see Andy was sitting at a table, her feet resting on the surface as she watched one of the TV screens that was playing music videos. She had discarded a glass and was drinking straight from the bottle now. He noticed she had nearly finished one off on her one and walked over.

“It seems that Ray needed a break. Mind if I join you?” He asked her. Her gaze slowly made its way to him and he could see the redness of them already and how glossy they were. She was upset, he knew. Anastasia’s nose would turn red whenever she was upset as well.

“Go ahead,” She said before looking back at the TV.

He sat down next to her and held his hand out for the bottle. She passed it to him without hesitation and he took a long gulp. He studied her face as she stared at the screen and for once, felt bad for having her here. She hadn’t seen her family in two months. He wasn’t sure why he felt bad for this, she had tried to kill him or at least her friends had. When she was upset, she looked different from Anastasia. Their noses both turned red, but with Ana, she would have a hurt puppy look in her eyes. Andy looked as if she was about to break the bottle and stab somebody with it. He remembered the kicked puppy look in her eyes in Atlanta. He had almost felt powerless in front of her when she looked as if she was about to cry.

“I was thinking after we find Ray’s pack, perhaps we can throw a party for your birthday.” He scolded himself for saying it. Why would he throw her a party? As much as he loved to party, he should be relishing in her misery. Instead, he felt almost miserable seeing her like this.

Andy’s nose scrunched up slightly and he noticed her eyes became a bit misty. She was refusing to make eye contact with him and kept watching the TV. “I’m not really one for parties.”

“Why not? There will be people there that aren’t me. I thought you’d like that.”

“Not anyone I’d know,” Andy countered. He sighed and took another gulp of the bottle before she held her hand out for it. He reluctantly handed it back to her. He could smell the alcohol rolling off of her and was sure she was nearing the end. She had been drinking straight whiskey the last hour. If she wasn’t blackout drunk yet, she had to be getting there.

“Tell me something I can do for your birthday. Anything,” Klaus offered. Finally, she looked at him with her brow furrowed. “You just have to ask, love.”

“Is this some kind of joke?” She demanded.

“What?”

She removed her legs from the table and sat forward. “You, acting nice all of the sudden. Just because it’s my birthday doesn’t mean or change anything. I know it’s not pity because you’ve proved time and time again you can’t feel any sympathy for anyone, least of all me. So, drop the act, be mean, and drink, or fuck off and go bother someone else with this bullshit.”

Klaus watched her for a moment, seeing the anger in her and recognizing it as something he had gone through before as well. There had been many birthdays he had been alone as well. He hadn’t spent a birthday with any of his family in decades. Her anger toward him might be justified, but he couldn’t let her go back to Mystic Falls now. If he let her go now, then Damon would return to Stefan and never let his brother go.

“Do you know I spent my last birthday sitting at in a dive bar in Toronto?” Klaus said after a moment, causing her to look at him in confusion. “I got drunk and then I went home and passed out. In the six hours of my drinking, I did not speak to a soul other than the bartender, and that was to order drinks. No one bothered me. I sat there and minded my own business until some man wandered in and started drinking until he was as drunk as I was. He was sitting there, crying into his gin and tonic, and for some reason, it annoyed me even though he was being as quiet as he could manage. I didn’t care enough to question him, but I cared enough about having some peace and quiet, so I compelled him to shut up. The next morning, I was going about my business and happened to see something on the news that he was dead.”

Andy was watching him closely. “What happened?”

“Apparently I had gotten so drunk the night before I didn’t remember murdering all of those within the bar. It had also been the man’s birthday though. He had a spouse and kids. Crying because he had just lost his job, which included healthcare for his sick daughter. Everyone in that cheap place had lives of their own. But I didn’t care.”

“Why tell me this?” She questioned him, her anger gone and replaced with confusion and uncertainty.

“Because I know how it feels to be alone on your birthday,” Klaus said softly. “And I knew any honeyed words would not comfort you. I went with a story about something that actually occurred.”

“A story about you slaughtering people is supposed to make me feel better?” Andy raised an eyebrow at him. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He wasn’t sure why that was the story he decided to tell, especially because they were in a similar bar on her birthday. He wasn’t sure why he gave her the gory details either. After a moment, he heard her laugh and looked at her in surprise. She had a half-smile on her face and had actually laughed. “Has anyone told you how shit you are trying to comfort people? Or that you have no idea how to interact with people whatsoever?”

“Not in a while,” Klaus replied, a smile curling on his lips. She watched him a moment before she took another gulp of the whiskey, her smile slowly fading from her face.

“Do you think Stefan will come back?” Andy asked him, looking up at him with genuine worry. Klaus knew she was scared that Stefan would and leave her alone with him. That and because Klaus would be forced to return to Mystic Falls to kill Damon and the others for trying to kill him and for Stefan abandoning his deal.

“Yes, he will,” Klaus replied, throwing her a ghost of a smile. “You don’t have faith in your friend?”

“I don’t have faith in Damon not to do something stupid like pump Stefan with vervain and lock him up,” Andy admitted as she looked down at the bottle with a distant look in her eyes.

“He won’t let his guard down,” Klaus said knowingly. If Stefan was smart, he wouldn’t walk into a trap set by Damon and ensure that only his brother was the one around. Andy nodded and looked at the nearly empty bottle before she held it out as an offer to him. He continued smiling as he took it and finished it off.

“Does it hurt when your fangs come out?” Andy asked out of the blue.

“The first time it did, but you get used to it after a few times,” Klaus answered. She watched him expectantly and he realized she wanted to see them. Playfully rolling his eyes, he allowed his fangs to slide out and she stared at them in curiosity before her gaze went to his eyes.

“Can I touch them?” She asked and he hesitantly nodded. She lifted her hand and leaned in closer to him. He watched her in uncertainty as she traced the veins around his eyes and then moved her finger down to his fangs. He was surprised to feel her gentle touch against his skin and wondered what brought this on. He half-expected her to hit him. She must truly be drunk if she was being this civil toward him.

It was her turn to hesitate as she pricked the bottom of his fang with her thumb. He tasted a little of her blood as she pulled away and he allowed his tongue to lick the little bit that had been left on his tooth, though he waited until he had closed his mouth, so she wouldn’t see it. “Your eyes and fangs are different from Elijah’s,” she pointed out in a low voice.

“I am a hybrid,” He reminded her as she looked at her bleeding thumb.

“Your eyes are pretty cool,” She admitted as she leaned back in her chair and raised her bloodshot eyes to him. “Is the thirst bad?”

“It used to be worse. When I was first turned, I could never sate my hunger. It was similar after I broke the curse and spent the next two days as a wolf,” Her eyes widened but he continued speaking. “After those two days, I felt the hunger go away. I finally felt whole.”

Andy watched him with an unreadable expression. He was sure it was the small buzz he had caught from his few sips of whiskey that made him more comfortable to answer her questions. “How were you turned?”  She asked softly. The gentleness of her voice surprised him enough to cause him to hesitate.

“It is a long story,” He admitted, drumming his fingers on the table.

“We have the time if you’re comfortable with it. Elijah never got around to telling me,” Andy replied, briefly glancing away from him as she mentioned his brother. He straightened slightly and watched her closely.

When he was in Alaric’s body, Damon had told her that Elijah had taken a special interest in Andy. Klaus knew his brother was always doomed to make the same mistakes and was hardly surprised when he heard this, but he hadn’t really seen much of what Andy thought of his brother other than when he brought it up in Atlanta and she had been quick to shut down the conversation. The most he had seen for himself was when Andy had come with Stefan for the cure to a werewolf bite and Andy had glowered at the sight of Elijah. His brother had not reacted much to her presence, or at least from what Klaus had seen. Klaus was certain it had to do with Elijah breaking his word that he would help kill his brother. Still, he wondered what if there was something deeper to those feelings of discomfort.

“You seemed close to my brother for knowing him for such a brief time,” Klaus commented, unable to help herself.

Andy avoided his gaze. “Like I said, I would hardly say we were close. I barely had a handful of conversations with him. I didn’t know him.”

He wasn’t certain why he was feeling upset, but the look on her face was a clear indicator that there had been something deeper, at least on Andy’s side—though Klaus didn’t doubt Elijah would have felt something as well. He had seen that look in others eyes before. Elijah had always had that effect on people, though he too had always fallen in love easily. Seeing Andy look upset at the mere mention of Elijah’s name sent an emotion through him he hadn’t felt in some time. She clearly cared for Elijah to some extent.

“I should grab another bottle,” Andy announced as she stood up, her body teetering slightly. Klaus watched her as she stumbled a bit to the bar. He walked over to her and placed a hand on her back and she turned to look at him.

“I think slowing down might help,” Klaus said gently. “You’ve been drinking for the last hour and I know you didn’t eat anything today.”

“Why do you care?” Andy shot at him as she stepped away from his touch and ordered a beer. He sighed and shook his head.

“Two more drinks and that’s it, you’re cut off for the night,” Klaus said, causing Andy to scowl at him but she didn’t argue as she took a seat at the bar.

“Are you at least going to drink with me?” She asked him after a moment, looking over at him expectantly. Klaus gave her a half-smile and began to sit down when Ray started groaning. He had completely forgotten about the wolf and looked over at him with a small frown. “Go on. Don’t let me get in the way of your torture.”

Klaus looked back at Andy at her scathing tone. She wasn’t looking at him and instead was taking a sip from her bottle. He watched her for a moment longer, almost wishing that Ray wasn’t here, so they could continue talking. However, Klaus needed information from the werewolf and he would be damned if anyone would stop him from getting what he wanted.

* * *

Jenna sat in the bathtub, her arms tightly wrapped around her legs as she stared at the emptied blood bags around her. She knew she should have just left the party, but she wanted to be here for Elena. She had felt so guilty for being absent those first few weeks that Andy was gone that she felt like she needed to make up for it.

Her hunger had never been this bad before. She had ransacked all of the blood in Damon’s room and had locked herself away in the bathroom until it had passed. Now she was glad she hadn’t gotten drunk because if she had, she wasn’t sure what she would have done.

The sound of her phone buzzing caused her to speed over to it on the bathroom counter. She had been hoping the number would call her back but when she saw it was a text from Alaric asking if she was okay, where she was, and if they could talk, she angrily threw her phone against the wall. As it shattered, she nearly face-palmed herself. Apparently, she was more inebriated than she realized.

Jenna took up residence back in the bathtub, keeping her gaze fixated on the ceiling as she did her best to drown out the pulsating heartbeats downstairs. It would be so easy to go grab somebody and sneak away before—

What was she thinking? These kids went to the same high school she had gone to, the same one her nieces and nephew went to. She couldn’t drink from them. She knew if the situation was different and someone else fed on one of her kids, she would do whatever she had to ensure that person never fed again.

“Jenna?” The blonde looked up as a knock echoed off the door. Caroline, of course. Who else had been diligently taking care of Jenna these last couple of months? It had to do more with making sure she didn’t kill anybody, but Jenna had to admit that it was nice to have someone to keep her in place, even if it sometimes felt like Caroline expected perfection in everything even if she didn’t always mean to.

Jenna sped over to the door and unlocked it, coming face to face with Caroline Forbes, who held two blood bags in her hand. “Hey, I just thought—” Caroline paused as she took note of the blood bags around the bathtub. “—you might be thirsty. Well, one more can’t hurt, right?”

Jenna snorted as she thanked Caroline for the blood bag. The two of them sat down in the bathtub and began sipping on their own bags. After a moment, Caroline spoke up.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you drink this much,” Caroline admitted. “Well, blood. There was that one Gilbert party where you drank almost all of the eggnog yourself.”

“I was newly twenty-one! And how do you even remember that? You were like, nine,” Jenna pointed out.

“I’m surprised you remember it. I think you were in the blackout stage even before the sunset.” The two of them laughed for a moment before silence fell. Caroline looked over at her with a frown. “I’m sorry I haven’t been much help, Jenna. I know I’m not the ideal teacher. Stefan… Stefan was a lot better. He always knew exactly what to say. Whenever I felt like I was losing control, he was there. He would’ve been a lot better than I have been.”

“Don’t say that Caroline,” Jenna turned to face Caroline, a serious tone falling over the two of them. “I couldn’t have asked for a better teacher. You always make sure my blood supply never even falls halfway empty. Even if you don’t drink animal blood like Stefan, you planned an entire camping trip, just so we could both practice together. You followed me at work and wherever I needed just to make sure I didn’t kill anybody. You’ve been so much help, Caroline. I think it’s me who should be apologizing. I haven’t exactly said thank you for any of it. I took it all for granted, considering my one alternative was Damon and I’m pretty sure that wouldn’t have worked out for any of us.”

“Yeah, I don’t doubt that,” Caroline said, a smile curling on her lips. “Despite everything going on, I’m glad that there’s someone else who understands. Not that I’m happy that you were turned without a choice, but we both were. I just… Damon and Stefan have been vampires for so long. Their adjustment period was so much different. Even if I’ve been one for a little while longer, it’s nice we can figure some stuff out together.”

“Yeah,” Jenna reached over and squeezed Caroline’s hand. “It is.”

Just then they heard someone open the bedroom door. Caroline sighed as she climbed out of the tub. “Seriously?!” She exclaimed. “This room's off limits!”

“Caroline?” Elena’s voice echoed. Jenna quickly finished her blood bag before she pulled herself out of the tub as well.

“Sorry,” Caroline replied as she held a blood bag up. Jenna joined her side as they walked further into Damon’s room. Elena looked momentarily surprised to see Jenna. “We just needed to take a beat.”

Just glancing Elena over, Jenna could tell something was wrong. Elena had been drinking tonight, and she clearly wasn’t entirely drunk, but Jenna knew her own emotions were in overdrive between the vampire thing and from the alcohol she had consumed. She walked up to Elena and put a hand on her shoulder in comfort. “Are you hiding the masses?”

Elena gave her a half-smile and shook her head. “I-I was just looking for Damon,”

“Well, he better be here somewhere because we haven't even done the cake yet,” Caroline said as she walked over to the two women.

“I think I'm gonna pass on the whole cake thing,” Elena said hesitantly,

“ _What_? no, no way, no! It's your _birthday_! You know it's the dawn of a new day and, you can't get on with your life until you have made a wish and blown out the candles,” Caroline argued, looking to Jenna for support. Jenna, however, knew Elena; if she didn’t feel up to blowing out the candles, then she really didn’t want to do it.

“Is that what you all want me to do? Just get on with my life?” Elena asked with a defensive note in her voice.

“No, Elena. We all want to find Andy and Stefan,” Jenna said, knowing that Caroline was only digging a deeper hole.

“I just don't think anyone wants to see you like this,” Caroline asserted with a soft tone as if Elena was a child.

“I'm not gonna give up on finding them, Caroline.”

Caroline shook her head. “Of course not. And you shouldn't, but you have to admit that you kinda just letting your life pass you by. And isn't Stefan the one who wanted to make sure that you lived it?”

Elena sighed. “You want me to make a wish? I just wanna know that Stefan and Andy are alive, and I want my sister back home. That's it! That's my wish,” She started to walk away but saw Damon's closet door was open a little bit. Jenna didn’t notice until Elena was already approaching the door.

“Elena—” She began but didn’t want to draw more attention to it by zooming over. She knew exactly what was in that closet and knew if Elena found it, she would be angry with her and Damon.

“I'm sorry, okay. I'm just drunk and dumb tonight. Wait, what are you doing…?” Caroline questioned as Elena made it to the closet and opened the door. Jenna sighed as Elena discovered all the notes and maps and articles that Damon, Alaric, and she had used to search for Klaus and Stefan. Caroline walked over to Elena to look at it while Jenna hung back, knowing full well that she wouldn’t be able to lie to Elena about this now. “What's all that?”

“It's Klaus. Damon's been tracking him without me,” Elena realized, still not piecing it together that Jenna had been involved.

“Why wouldn't he just tell you?” Caroline asked.

“I don't know,” Elena said breathlessly. After a moment, she turned to look at Jenna and a look of hurt passed over her face. “You knew.”

“I did. I helped,” Jenna admitted to her, refusing to look down and kept her head up. “Klaus can’t know you’re alive, Elena. You’d put yourself at risk.”

“That’s not your choice, Jenna. Andy is my sister and Stefan—”

“If Klaus found out you were alive, everything we did would have been for nothing. Maybe we should have told you, but if we had, you wouldn’t have kept yourself safe. And I refuse to lose anyone else to Klaus, especially someone who I am supposed to protect,” Jenna walked over to her niece and sighed. “I’m sorry we lied to you, Elena. I-I won’t make any more excuses or explanations. Happy birthday.”

* * *

“You'll thank me for it later, huh. There we go, attaboy!” Klaus exclaimed as Ray drank his blood. The werewolf was lying on the pool table, bloodied and weak. Ray had revealed the location of his pack after another hour of interrogation and Klaus couldn’t be happier. By the full moon tomorrow night, he would have hybrids.

As Ray drank, Klaus sensed Stefan had walked into the bar. The Salvatore stopped a few feet behind him and remained silent. “What are you going to do now?” Ray asked, his voice full of worry.

“It's time for step two, Ray,” Klaus said, twisting his neck to kill him. He then turned to Stefan, who was watching with a blank expression. “You're back.”

“Did you doubt me?” Stefan questioned.

“Not for a second. I knew you'd pass the test,” Klaus said as he walked closer to his friend. “You still care for your brother, for your old life.”

Stefan shook his head. “Nah, I don't care about anything anymore.”

“You put on a good show, Stefan. I almost believe you. Let's hope, for your brother's sake, he does. You never stop caring about family, do you?” Klaus walked to Stefan’s side and began whispering. “But, every time you feed, the blood makes it easier to let go.”

Stefan didn’t respond and instead glanced around the bar. “Where’s Andy?”

“Oh, she had a bit too much to drink so she’s in the bathroom,” Klaus answered. The doppelganger had been in there for the last ten minutes but had informed Klaus not to bother her while she was in there.

“ _What?_ ” Stefan demanded, grabbing Klaus arm as he went to walk away. “What did you just say?”

“Don’t worry, mate. She’s perfectly fine. I’ve had the waitress been checking on—”

“Klaus, she’s an alcoholic,” Stefan said, letting go of his arm. Klaus raised his eyebrows, this information completely new to him. “She went to rehab for months so she could stop. You let her throw all of her work down the drain in one night?”

When he was in Alaric’s body, Katherine had made no mention of this, even when he had compelled her to tell him everything about the newest Petrova doppelgangers. He had noticed she hadn’t drunk at all when alcohol was offered to her, but he didn’t know that it was this bad.

Stefan turned to go find Andy, but Klaus stopped him. “Bring Ray to the car. I’ll collect Andy.”

“I think you’ve done enough for the night,” Stefan shot back.

“And I think you need to remember who you’re speaking to,” Klaus growled as he glowered at Stefan. The Salvatore hesitated and looked as if he didn’t want to, but finally nodded and went over to Ray. Klaus turned and headed toward the bathroom, his heart feeling heavy as he walked toward the door. Stefan hadn’t made any comments about her not drinking anything. He hadn’t thought twice about bringing Andy to a bar.

He knocked on the door but heard nothing. He tried again but got the same response. He opened the door and saw her legs spread out from beneath one of the stalls. With a sigh, he moved over to the open door and saw she was passed out, her head resting on the toilet paper holder. He bent down and cradled her face in his hands. She was still breathing but appeared to be knocked out. She would need to take a long, hot shower tomorrow after being on these floors.

“Andy? Andy, love, wake up,” He said to her, shaking her gently.

“Leave me alone, Nik…” He tensed up at the name, but he had heard her clear as day. It was a nickname he hadn’t heard in years and hearing her voice paired with her looks, it hit him like a slap. He had left Anastasia behind long ago and he knew Andy wasn’t anything like her. Ana had been introverted and mature, Andy seemed as if she was still a child, especially when she looked as if she were asleep like this.

“I got you, Andy,” Klaus whispered as he scooped her up in his arms. She curled up to his chest and he noticed she had drool coming out of her mouth. He smiled in amusement and had to resist watching her as he carried her outside, seeing that Stefan was hanging up the phone. He was slightly curious as to who it had been but didn’t say anything as the Salvatore opened the backseat so he could lay Andy down in there.

Once Klaus had laid her down, he sped back to the bar and found a clean towel before returning and wiping her drool away. He grabbed his jacket from the front seat and laid it on her, so she wouldn’t get cold. She looked younger and carefree in her sleep. Klaus scolded himself for allowing her to drink so much. How could he have been so stupid?

By the time he turned to get into the car, he had forgotten Stefan had been standing there to witness all of that. He paused and made eye contact with him before tossing the keys to him.

“Come on. We have a bit of a drive ahead of us.”

**_~ * • ° • ° • * ~_ **


	21. Sympathy for the Devil

**_Poison & Wine ~ Chapter XXI_ **

**_~ * • ° • ° • * ~_ **

“Andy, wake up, love. I think I see David Bowie,” Andy groaned as she was being shaken awake. When she opened her eyes, Klaus was standing over her, a light shining from around him that caused her to squint her eyes. She was lying down in the backseat of the car, and she was painfully aware of something sticking right into her back. Moaning, she covered her eyes with her hand that way the sun would no longer be beaming into her eyes. She scooted over away from whatever was hurting her back and felt a wave of nausea hit her.

“Please tell me I did not make a huge mistake last night,” She said after a moment, her voice hoarse. Once he had started drinking with her last night, she had completely blacked out. She strained trying to bring memories back, but ultimately it only worsened her headache. She knew all it had taken was one tiny moment to send her down a familiar road she thought she had left behind. Her thoughts began turning dark as her head pounded and her hands trembled. The cravings would be worse than ever now.

“Don’t worry, love. All you did was manage to drink a quarter of the bar’s supply,” Klaus said, though his voice was full of disappointment and… _anger_? Andy quickly uncovered her eyes and sat up, looking at him in confusion. Why was _he_ mad? He wasn’t the one who had a hangover. He didn’t just throw months of work away. Seeing her confused expression, he spoke up. “You didn’t tell me you were a recovering alcoholic, Andy.”

She sighed and looked up at the ceiling, resisting the urge to roll her eyes at him. She should have known that Stefan would have said something to him, but she hadn’t been really concerned with what Stefan thought last night. “It didn’t seem important,” He started to open his mouth, but she was quick to interrupt. “Oh, _please_ , don’t act like you care, Klaus. We aren’t friends. We _hate_ each other, with good reason on my part. I mean, Stefan is addicted to human blood and you have him drinking it all the time. Why can’t he give into his vice and I can’t? Besides, I highly doubt this is something we really need to talk about. I’d much rather prefer a cold shower and some fresh clothes.”

She watched him with a mix of emotions, wondering why he was bothering to even argue with her about this. Stefan was addicted to blood and he enabled Stefan, but maybe he saw it as different since Stefan was a vampire. But she was a human, something which he didn’t concern himself with. He must just want “ _his_ ” doppelganger to remain spotless. She wanted to fight him more, to insist to leave her to figure it out. However, the headache was beginning to worsen, and she just wanted silence.

“Andy.” She was surprised by the firmness of his voice and looked back over at him. She didn’t like the way he was looking at her. There was something in his gaze—something that looked like a lot like concern, and she wanted it gone immediately. He was a heartless monster. He had made it clear he held no concern for humans, least of all for her. He had no right to be concerned for her after everything he had done. “Had I known, I wouldn’t have even allowed you to be in that bar. This isn’t some joking matter when you are human and your entire being is completely different from a vampire.”

“That’s a bullshit argument. You just don’t want to admit you forced Stefan into his addiction and inadvertently me as well,” Andy shot back at him.

Klaus hesitated a moment before he clenched his jaw and looked at her with a stern look. “You promised to do what I say. I am telling you that you will never drink again, as long as my compulsion holds you. Is that clear?”

“I’m not a child, Klaus,” She snapped brusquely as she sat up, a move that only made her feel dizzy and light-headed. He snorted, and she looked up to catch him rolling his eyes at her. She felt her blood boil and clenched her fists.

“And I’m not an enabler,” He shot back before hesitating for a long moment. “The Stefan argument will have to wait another day. As miserable as you might be with me, I won’t allow you to throw all your work away again, even if it might all be my fault. I won’t let you use it as an excuse to hate me even more or use your hatred of me as an excuse.”

“I wouldn’t hate you if you weren’t a murderous asshole who constantly treats me like I’m trash. I know you don’t hold humans in high regard, but maybe if you were even a bit nicer to me then I wouldn’t want to get as far away from you as possible,” Andy said as she turned her body to face him completely.

“I have been much nicer to you than you deserve,” Klaus said defensively. She opened her mouth to argue but he cut in. “You forget that you and your friends tried to kill me. Then instead of killing them all like I should have, I allowed you to come along with me to make up for their mistakes,” Andy silently gaped at him. She thought he had always brought her along because of their deal, that he wanted to make her suffer. He leaned closer to her, his expression serious. “The only reason they get to live is because of your sacrifice, love. And had you been anyone else, I would not have given you one thing you wanted over these last few months. You would have been a prisoner.”

“Wow, that’s so romantic. So is this the part I’m supposed to swoon and throw myself at your feet?” Andy replied dryly. He had never told her that he hadn’t killed those in Mystic Falls was because she had come with him willingly. It almost made her happy she had now gone with Stefan to see Klaus about the cure for a werewolf bite.

Klaus sighed and looked away from her. “You always make things so difficult, Andy. I’m still not sure if it’s irritating or endearing.”

“I’ve been told it’s a mix of both.”

There was an almost sheepish look on his face as he looked back at her, making her wonder what he was thinking. Finally, he gestured to a grocery bag that was sitting in the floorboard by her feet. “There are some fresh clothes in there. Hardly decent for hiking, but comfortable and the best we could do considering where we are,” he said quietly.

“Is there anything in this bag for this headache I have the pleasure of housing?” She questioned incredulously, but he simply remained silent, his gaze slipping away from her. She didn’t want anything from him except some Tylenol, but she was grateful that she get out of clothes that reeked of alcohol. Looking through the bag, she found a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. They weren’t ideal for a hike, but at least she would be comfortable in the sweatpants.

Looking up, she finally allowed herself to look at their surroundings. Klaus had mentioned hiking and sure enough, they were almost surrounded by trees. She was going to hike with a hangover. Wait, why were they going on a hike in the first place? Unless Klaus had finally gotten the information that he needed out of Ray, meaning that they were about to find a pack of werewolves and Klaus would turn them all. “Ray told you…” She surmised as her gaze landed back on him.

“He did. I would prefer to make it there by nightfall, so…” He gestured to the clothes before he turned and walked away from her, keeping his back to her as he surveyed the trees to give her some privacy. She immediately peeled her shirt off, holding her breath as she removed the material. Her head was pounding and the terrible smell that was emitting from the fabric caused a wave of nausea. She rushed to get changed, wondering if she had ended up on the bathroom floor. She didn’t smell any vomit, and her hair was still pulled back. She quickly redid a sloppy ponytail, knowing she didn’t have the time to rake her fingers through her hair. Once she was done, she climbed out of the car feeling a little less dirty than she had minutes ago, though she still ached for a shower.

“I hope you are decent,” Klaus called just before he turned around. She rolled her eyes and turned to face the car again. She threw her dirty clothes into the plastic bag and then leaned against the door, closing her eyes and exhaling. She was feeling sick from all that she drank, that was for sure, but she also found herself craving another drink. It would help her headache and maybe even help her throw up the leftover nastiness in her. She wondered if she could convince Klaus one more wouldn’t hurt _that_ much, though considering he had ordered her not to drink again, he probably wouldn’t budge.

“Everything okay, love?” She jumped slightly at the proximity of the voice. She looked over her shoulder to see he was standing by her side and watching her closely.

“Yes… _No_ ,” She ran her hands down her face, catching some of the sweat that was already building on her forehead and nose. She rested her hands on the seats and propped herself up, knowing she would be throwing up anytime now. “You should have left me at a hotel. I can’t… I _can’t_ hike right now. I’ll only slow you down and paint the forest with throw up. I just need… something to get over this then I’ll be fine.”

“You’re going to be fine, Andy,” He assured. “You don’t need anything except for some water.”

“No, I’m not going to be fine, Klaus. Relapses… relapses aren’t something you can just handle with compulsion. It won’t remove the cravings. If I don’t pick up another thing of alcohol because of your stupid compulsion, I’m going to be experiencing the same withdrawals as last time. The last time I relapsed I was able to go right to a rehab facility. I had my family. I had support. I have _nothing_ this time except for you and I don’t even count that. Even Stefan doesn’t want to hang around me. I worked for months to get to the point where I didn’t need any of that stuff. The cravings were almost completely forgotten and I threw it all away just because…” She stopped, her voice breaking as she remembered how Jenna sounded over the phone. The very thought of the woman made Andy want to just drink to forget her all over again.

A hand on her shoulder surprised her. She looked up at Klaus with bleary eyes, shocked to see a look of sympathy on his face. “You don’t have nothing, love,” he said before he walked to the front of the car. She blinked her tear away, confused by what he meant until he returned with another plastic bag, holding it out for her to take. She looked incredulously as she took the bag and looked down at it. There were a few bottles of water, a couple bottles of ginger ale, a pack of saltine crackers and some Advil. She found herself snorting, though was grateful he had at least thought to get her something.

“Oh, so my support network is now some caffeine and other medicines. Thanks,” Feeling that nausea had passed for the moment, she turned to the car and popped a bottle of water open. She quickly chugged the bottle and then tossed it on the floorboard and took a couple pills, hoping that they wouldn’t take their time to kick in.

“You know, you never fail to downplay kind gestures,” She looked over at Klaus from the corner of her eye, pretending to busy herself with looking through the bag. She could point out his kind gestures didn’t balance out the shit he had pulled in the past, but she didn’t have the energy to argue. “I didn’t leave you at a hotel because you don’t need to be alone right now. Getting out in the sunshine, hiking… all of that will help you get your mind off of things for today. And tomorrow, we will find something else to keep you busy. Perhaps Stefan can take you out. I imagine I will have my hands full with my hybrids anyway. A break from me may do you some good.”

As he spoke, Andy turned to look at him. His words held no venom or teasing note in them. No, he actually seemed genuine in his wish to help her. It made her wonder what exactly was his game. He was looking at her with that same look he had a few minutes ago, almost like he was nervous to even be speaking to her. “Why do you even care, Klaus? Don’t want your little doppelganger drinking underage? I’d be a hell of a lot easier to get along with that way,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Don’t act as if relapsing is something you truly want. I’ve been alive a long time, love, and you’re not nearly as hard to read as you believe,” Klaus took a step closer to her, smartly not putting a hand on her again. “Is it wrong to simply want to help you? You say we aren’t friends, but we could be. You have more uses than just your blood, and I must be of more use to you than just someone to blame everything on. We have tried hating each other, and it hasn’t accomplished much. Why shouldn’t we try something new?”

Andy scrunched her eyebrows together as she studied him. Where had this come from? Had she said something to him last night that made him think that this was a promising idea? Did he not remember everything that had already happened between them? One night being drinking buddies didn’t wipe all of that shit away. “Klaus, listen, I appreciate you wanting to help me, but it’s not that simple and you know it. The shit you pulled in Mystic Falls is justification enough for me to never speak to you again. I can’t just forget it all and be your friend or whatever you’re looking for.”

“Do you even remember last night at all?”

Andy shrugged nonchalantly, not wanting to admit she had willingly conversed with him. She remembered _some_ of last night, but about the time he had started drinking everything became a blur. “I remember drinking Jack Daniels. Not much else past that,” She glanced up at him to see his reaction and he was scrutinizing her closely. It made her wonder what exactly they had spoken of last night for him to push for them to become friends.

Feeling a sickness rise in her, Andy moved away from him before she threw up all over the ground. Tears built up in her eyes and began streaming down her face as she kept on throwing up. Her head was pounding and she felt drained, certainly enough that she wasn’t sure how long she could hike. She didn’t even notice Klaus was rubbing her back in comfort until she had thrown everything up.

“I’m _never_ drinking again,” She muttered as she debated lying back down and sleeping in the back of the car.

A low chuckle came from Klaus. “As interesting as this view is of your… vomit, I don’t want you to get dehydrated before our hike. You need to try to drink a little more,” Andy stood straight up and threw him an annoyed look. “You already smell…” He hesitated when she looked back at him with a raised eyebrow. “Like a bar threw up on itself,” he finished with a smile.

“This is always the worst part,” she said, her voice tight as she leaned forward to grab the grocery bag. She sighed in relief before she opened and chugged one of the huge bottles of water.

“You’re going to make yourself sick again,” he noted with raised eyebrows.

“Maybe if I look at you,” She replied haughtily as she picked up the ginger ale and debated whether or not she wanted to chug it as well. She paused in surprise when she heard Klaus laugh again. Looking up, she saw he was smiling at her indecision. Not smirking, but smiling in such a sweet way that it made her wonder what was going on with him. She had only seen this kind of smile in her dreams.

Maybe his new nice guy act toward her wasn’t completely made up, though it seemed as if it were out of nowhere. No matter what happened the night prior to make him believe that they could be friends, she couldn’t just forget the way he had acted in the past. He had been a complete jerk since the moment they met. He had killed dozens of people in front of her. He compelled, tortured, and killed when it suited him, no matter who got hurt. One night of drinking together didn’t cancel that out. Something also told her that he wasn’t going to just stop killing either.

“What?” she finally asked him, her brows furrowing.

“Nothing,” He replied before he turned and walked to the trunk of the car. Andy watched him a moment before she grabbed the bag and followed after him.

“Really, though. Why didn’t you just drop me off at a hotel? I won’t be able to move as fast as you or Stefan,” She questioned as she got another whiff of how she smelled and she nearly threw up again.

“I told you, you’re going to spend the day busy. I’ve seen plenty of addicts in my time, Andy,” Klaus explained as he stopped next to the trunk. “And, frankly, even if you have no ready access to any alcohol, it’s best for you to be out and about.”

“But you’ve compelled me to follow your orders. You ordered me not to drink so there’s no chance of that happening,” She pointed out, causing him to pause and look over at her.

“Does that bother you?” He asked softly, his tone once again surprising her. “I know sometimes it’s easier to deal with things on your own. Compulsion can be… iffy with its results.”

“That is the first time I have ever heard you say that compulsion doesn’t always work,” She noted as she leaned against the car. “But to answer your question… no, I don’t want you to remove it. I-I’m not the most stable person right now, not really... This way, I’m guaranteed not to drink. You said I don’t have ready access, but I think you forget how much you and Stefan drink. I spent months stealing and hiding my stash back in Mystic Falls. All it takes it one minor distraction to store some away. Not that I have any stored, scouts honor.”

Klaus paused for a moment before he spoke in a gentle tone. “Maybe we can try—”

“Stefan!” Andy interrupted as she noticed the Salvatore approaching them. She didn’t want to hear any more friendship proposals from Klaus at the moment. Stefan had an expressionless look on his face, something she was becoming accustomed to at this point.

“Everything okay?” He asked her as he looked her over. She saw the look in his eyes that indicated they were going to have a talk later. “I thought you’d be out for a few hours. Klaus told me that—”

“I’m sober now, that’s all that matters,” She cut him off as she turned to see Klaus had opened the trunk. She jumped in surprise when she saw Ray was unconscious and even more bloody than he had been when they were throwing darts at him. How much had she missed when she blacked out last night?

“We better get a move on before he wakes up,” Klaus said as he turned to look at them. “Now, who wants to have the honor of carrying him?”

* * *

“Need some help back there, love?” Klaus questioned as she leaned against a tree to catch her breath.

“I’m _fine_ ,” Andy insisted with a scowl before she stood straight up. “Let’s go.”

They had been hiking for nearly two and a half hours and Andy was feeling it over her entire body. She was aching, and her bones were crying out for a break while Stefan and Klaus acted as if the walk was nothing, even though Stefan was carrying a person on his shoulders. It probably didn’t help that she still had a hangover. She had thrown up a couple more times, especially after she had tried to put something on her stomach. She knew the other two—mainly Klaus— were getting annoyed with her for having to stop so often, even if they tried to hide it. Klaus hadn’t bothered her much, only to ask if she was okay or wanted him to carry her since Stefan was busy toting Ray on his shoulders. She had shut him down with one scathing look, although that hadn’t discouraged him from smirking.

As she nudged into Klaus’ shoulder as she walked past him, her mind went back to this morning. He had been uncharacteristically nice to her and she didn’t know what to think about it. “You okay? Is Ray getting heavy?” Klaus asked Stefan as if he just now remembered that the vampire was carrying an unconscious body up a mountain.

“I'm fine,” Stefan said, echoing Andy’s words as he fell into step behind her.

“You sure about that? You know, we've been walking for quite some time now. If you need some water or a little sit-down...”

“You know, I get that we're, uh... we’re _stuck_ together, but if we could maybe just skip the chitchat, it'd be great,” Stefan interrupted, not even sparing a glance in the hybrid’s direction. Andy glanced over her shoulder to see the almost disappointed look on Klaus’ expression.

“So much brooding. Your self-loathing is suffocating you, my friend,” Klaus replied, doing his best to hide how he felt about Stefan’s rejection. Andy still didn’t understand why Klaus wanted Stefan to be his friend so badly. Damon would have had no problem acting like he enjoyed the killings. Then again, perhaps the two of them were too similar to get along.

“Maybe it's 'cause I'm a little tired of hunting werewolves. I know Andy must be. We've been at it all summer,” Stefan said in irritation, but Andy soon stopped paying attention to their conversation. She halted in her steps as she noticed the group of people about fifteen feet ahead of them. There was an entire campsite of about ten to fifteen people. Andy realized this was the pack that they were looking for and the chances were that it wasn’t going to end well for the pack. She felt a wave of nausea hit her as she wondered how many more people she would see killed today. Now she was really wishing Klaus had dropped her off at a hotel. If this was his idea of a detox, she wanted no part of it.

“Thanks to our pal Ray, we found ourselves a pack. _There_ ,” Klaus said, coming to stand beside of Andy and gesturing toward the people.

“Well then. Shall we?” Stefan questioned as he walked past them and into the campsite. Andy looked up at Klaus as they began walking to see he almost appeared giddy.

“Happy your dream is about to come true?” Andy asked him, watching every movement he made. He almost looked like a child on Christmas morning to her. She hadn’t realized how badly he wanted to have other hybrids.

“Happy doesn’t even begin to describe what I’m feeling,” He admitted, looking over at her with a look of elation. Andy gazed into his cerulean eyes and for a moment felt as if his excitement was contagious, but knew this was something she could not be excited about. Not when she knew what was coming for those who were unfortunate enough to be in Ray’s pack. They would be turned against their will, given a life they had never asked for in the first place. Then they would have to come to terms with it all, and if Klaus had his way, they would be his army in case anyone tried to fight him. She would have to ask him later if he would allow them some free will, though she wasn’t hopeful for the answer.

Stefan had walked into the campsite and dropped Ray’s body on the ground. One of the women had rushed over to the unconscious werewolf in worry. “ _Ray_! Oh, my God. What's going on?” She looked up at Stefan in confusion and worry. “Who _are_ you?”

“The important question is who am I,” Klaus said as he joined Stefan. Andy stood back, feeling nauseous from the hike and the realization that these people would be more or less dead by nightfall. Her calves were killing her, and she just wanted to lay down and cover up, to be blind to this all like she had been all summer. She needed to remember that she was complicit in all of this. She hadn’t ever even tried to stand up to Klaus when lives were on the line. Even in her dreams, she just watched as the people were killed. “Please forgive the intrusion. My name is Klaus.”

“You're the hybrid,” The woman said, standing to her feet and looking at him in horror.

The smile that curled on Klaus’ lips was something she knew she would never forget. _His ego needs a major bruising_ , she thought quietly to herself as she did her best to bite her tongue. “You've heard of me. _Fantastic_.” Andy sat down on a nearby log as he spoke, knowing this might take a while. She wished that she hadn’t drunk the rest of the ginger ale, knowing that the next few hours would be torture.

Stefan glanced over before he came to join her. When she felt him grab her hand and squeeze it three times, she nearly started to cry. Stefan and she had grown apart significantly in the last month. He had become reclusive and even more broody, though she couldn’t lie and say that she had exactly sought him out always. This gesture felt like it brought them back together, even if it was only for this moment. They were in the same position, stuck with a man who had taken everything from them but they had the small comfort of their loved ones being safe back in Mystic Falls. She knew despite Stefan killing, that the old him was in there; she only hoped he didn’t blame himself for her relapse.

Finally, Andy turned her head to look at Stefan and he met her gaze. She saw a similar sickness in his eyes, knowing that he would be beating himself over these people being forced to become hybrids as well. Andy squeezed his hand, trying to offer the little comfort she could to him.

Klaus paced around as he spoke to the group. “What you all are here for today is to become like me,” he explained, stopping by his first hybrid in transition. Ray still laid unconscious on the ground. “Ray here is already in transition. When he wakes up, all he will need is some blood.”

Andy stiffened and kept looking at Stefan, but he had already looked away from her, his jaw clenched. Would Klaus use her blood to create the hybrids? That was why he had really brought her, wasn’t it? He needed someone to feed his hybrids. All that talk about not being alone was bullshit. He had brought her in case his werewolves needed a blood bag.

Glancing around at the werewolves in the pack, she wasn’t sure that there were any other humans around. If Klaus was going to ask her to be a blood bag for his hybrids, he had another thing coming to him. She wasn’t about to let him use her blood to create his army.

“Should any of you think of running, my friend and I will not hesitate to break your legs. I imagine running would then be quite a chore. Whether you like it or not, all of you will become hybrids by the time the full moon sets,” Klaus continued speaking as he walked over to the log and stood by Andy. He looked over at her, but she avoided his gaze and went back to staring Stefan down. Would he let Klaus use her as the blood source for his hybrid?

Stefan finally met her gaze again and she saw the uncertainty briefly flash in his eyes. He didn’t want any of this as much as she did. He too seemed to be thinking that Klaus was going to offer her up as the blood source. “It's fascinating, actually... A werewolf who isn't beholden to the moon, a vampire who doesn't burn in the sun. A true hybrid,” Klaus continued prattling on as she clenched her fists.

Andy’s attention was pulled from Stefan when Ray woke up with a gasp. “Excellent timing, Ray. Very dramatic,” Klaus commented, a smirk curling on his lips.

“What's happening to me?” Ray asked as he sat up, touching his neck and face as he looked around in confusion.

“Stefan?” Klaus signaled to the vampire, keeping his eyes glued to his first hybrid creation. Andy looked up at Stefan in desperation, but he threw her a quick reassuring look as he stood up and looked at the group of werewolves.

“Are any of you human? Your friend here needs human blood to complete his transition to vampire. If he doesn't get it, he will die,” Stefan called out, causing Andy to let a breath of relief out she hadn’t realized she was holding. At least she wasn’t the first choice.

“Doesn't take much, just a sip. Anyone? A boyfriend, a girlfriend, along for the ride?” Klaus continued before focusing on one of the men standing near the back. All eyes turned to the man and Andy’s heart dropped. He looked a lot like Matt, someone she hadn’t thought a lot about in some time. It could have easily been him here if Tyler had been a part of this pack… “You!” Klaus exclaimed as he rushed over to the blond male and bit his forearm. Stefan quickly grabbed the human and threw him on the ground in front of Ray. The woman who had initially rushed to Ray’s side protested but Klaus was quick to grab ahold of her. Andy swallowed thickly, clenching her fists as she watched them all speeding around the camp.

“If you don't drink it, Ray, I will. Problem is I don't know how to stop,” Stefan said as he bent down next to Ray, and Andy felt her stomach flip as she watched the exchange. Someone was about to die just because she didn’t want someone to feed on her.

“It’s the new order, sweetheart. You join us, or you die,” Klaus said to the woman he was still holding. Andy stood and looked at the human in worry. That was someone’s boyfriend, son, brother. Ray was appraising the human as if he was a steak. It was clear Ray was having to hold back from killing him as he was practically shaking and digging his fingers into the ground. Andy couldn’t just stand by as this man was used as a blood bag and had to nearly be killed by his own friends.

“I'd rather _die_ than be a vampire.”

“Wrong choice,” Andy watched in slight horror as Klaus fed his blood to the woman and snapped her neck. Andy stepped forward as Ray started going toward the Matt look-alike. A spike of fear rush through her for the man. She couldn’t stand by and watch this. The hybrids would kill him.

“Stop,” Andy exclaimed as she ran over to Ray and the human. She threw herself in between the two men and turned toward Ray. “Just drink from me, okay? You…” She looked at the human and pointed at the log. “Go sit over there, _away_ from the thirsty hybrid.”

“What do you think you’re doing?” Klaus asked, speeding over to them. He grabbed Andy by her elbow and pulled her to her feet.

“There’s no reason to use him, Klaus,” Andy said, keeping her tone calm and her face neutral. She was a bit perturbed he tried to make it seem this was a detox for her when in reality, he wasn’t sure if he’d have any other human blood around for his hybrids. That was an argument for later. “He is just a human. We can compel him and let him go. You brought _me_ for a reason. You didn’t know that there would be a human here. Just let me do this. My special blood might make your hybrids stronger.”

“You’re willing to risk your life? After all, their hunger may be much more than you’re prepared for, especially in your state,” Klaus pointed out with a raised eyebrow. “And like you said, he’s human. He has no real purpose here. You’re someone important. In the grand scheme of things, he won’t do much other than popping out a few children and maybe getting a promotion or two before he retires.”

“You need a human. Here I am. After all, doppelganger blood can’t hurt,” She pointed out to him. She started to pull away to turn to Ray but Klaus gripped her tighter.

“Sit. Down.”

“Excuse me?” She turned to look at him, seeing he was looking at her with a stern expression.

“I don’t recall you calling the shots around here. Sit down before I send you back to the car,” Klaus said, his tone harsh and firm. She looked at him with surprise, not understanding why he wouldn’t just use her. At the very least, it would be a lot faster using two humans. Why did he look so angry?

“I guess I forgot my place, _sir_ ,” Andy snapped, looking down at the human with a frown as she realized Ray had already finished feeding. She looked back up at Klaus with a scowl to see he was still watching her with an annoyed look. She pushed past him and went to sit on the log, realizing that Klaus probably didn’t appreciate her reaction in front of his hybrids, but she didn’t care.

“She'll thank me for that later,” Klaus commented as he turned to the group of werewolves. Andy looked back at him to see he had his fangs out now and his eyes were yellow. “Okay, who's next?”

* * *

“There. Good as new. Now you relax, okay, mate? We're gonna need you when the rest of them wake up.” Klaus said as he compelled the human after giving him his blood to heal him. Klaus turned to look at Andy to see she was still sitting on the log with a disgusted look as she gazed around the unconscious bodies strewn across the camp.

She didn’t understand any of this. She _was_ human, after all. Why did she care if he used a nobody to create his hybrids? The most she understood about him was that he was a hybrid, but she didn’t know anything else about what happened with his family. She didn’t understand how much it meant to him to have the hybrids, what they were going to be for him.

As Klaus stood to his feet, Andy approached them and knelt to check on the human. “He’s fine, love. Just needed some blood to heal him,” Klaus told her, hoping she would get past her anger quickly. The only reason he hadn’t ultimately used Andy as the blood bag was because he believed it would just further anger her. He needed her in one piece anyway and he didn’t trust new hybrids to be able to hold back from drinking too much. Even the man he had used was beginning to look bad despite giving him blood to heal him. He would have used Andy’s blood if it came down to it, but he hadn’t expected that not using her to have the opposite effect.

“I didn’t mean to question you in front of them,” she said abruptly, causing him to look down at her in surprise. Was she joking? He had never expected to hear her apologize. She stood so they were on the same level and peered at him with her almond eyes. She was giving him a desperate look, borderline puppy dog look. “I’m sorry. It won’t happen again, especially not in front of your hybrids.”

Klaus narrowed his eyes at her, wondering what game she was playing. What could she gain from apologizing to him for something he wasn’t even angry about? At most, he had just been irritated. “What has inspired this change if I may ask?” He questioned incredulously.

“Realizing that no matter what I say, you’ll never listen to me and do the opposite. You listening to me is not a luxury for me, I get it. I’m just the dumb doppelganger who you’re stuck with until you can find a purpose for me,” She pointed to the human before she looked up at Klaus with an imploring look. “You _can’t_ use him for everyone. He can’t handle it, not all of them, even if you heal him. If someone accidentally kills him, he’ll turn. You’re already forcing the others to turn, don’t make that choice for him as well.”

“Andy, you are underestimating the control a newly turned hybrid has. They could easily tear out your throat without even meaning to,” he pointed out, hoping she would just drop the subject.

“Klaus, I am here. _Please_ , I don’t want to see anyone else die. I have no right to ask anything of you, I understand that. I understand you’re the alpha and that I take orders from you,” She took another step toward him, causing him to tense slightly at her proximity and the intensity of her gaze. Her next words were whispered as if she didn’t want Stefan to hear. “But if I’m stuck with you for the rest of my life, then _shouldn’t_ we be able to get along? This morning you seemed like you wanted to help me. You don’t trust me, and I don’t blame you, but if you want to have some semblance of a working relationship, _this_ is how. We can’t change each other, so maybe we can adapt to one another. Forgive me for saying this in front of witnesses, And I am telling you that if that boy dies when there is something I could do to stop it, then there will never be anything between us. I will hate you until the day I die and he will just be added to the long list of deaths I blame myself for already. Do you want to help me? Then don’t let him die today. For me. Please, Klaus.”

She was just talking to save the boy’s life. She didn’t care that he was the alpha or that she was supposed to not question him. Klaus wasn’t stupid enough to not see that, but he had to admit he admired her dedication to stopping him from killing. He didn’t quite understand why she was so willing to do this for someone she didn’t know. It did strike him odd that she blamed herself for the deaths she had seen, but it made sense why she eventually had turned back to alcohol after all the things she had seen the last few months.

He didn’t quite understand why she blamed herself; it was either him or Stefan who killed, never her. She hadn’t shed anyone’s blood and he had no intention of having her kill anyone. He understood if she blamed herself for Isobel’s death, that had been the whole point in using her for the sacrifice.

Klaus prided himself that he had understood Andy more than she realized. She tried acting as if she didn’t give a shit, but it was so thinly veiled. She cared, and that was how she had even gotten into this situation to begin with. She tried to act as if Klaus didn’t get under her skin, but that was clearly untrue. Their conversation in Georgia had been enough to prove that, and their conversation last night that she had no recollection of proved that. He knew alcohol had a funny way of influencing people and knew that she probably hadn’t meant most of what she said, but he knew it wouldn’t be anything he would be forgetting anytime.

Her almond eyes peering up at him made him wonder if she thought she held some leverage over him, but he saw no confidence or certainty that he would agree to this. She simply looked at him with a pleading look that was borderline desperate. She didn’t want to see anyone else hurt, and something in Klaus didn’t want to hear her crying later that night or to see her the way he had last night again.

“Fine,” Klaus agreed reluctantly. “If you are certain you can handle it, then so be it,” She sighed in relief and started to walk away by he grabbed her forearm, causing her to pause and look back at him. “I cannot promise it won’t hurt, but I suppose I can spare _some_ of my blood if they rough you up too much.”

“You won’t let them hurt me,” she answered immediately and so certain that it made Klaus pause in surprise. He was in a bit of disbelief that she seemed convinced that he wouldn’t let any major harm come to her. He wondered what exactly made her believe that. Surely Stefan was the safer bet in ensuring her safety.

Klaus watched as Andy pulled away from him and leaned down to check on the human, who was silently lying on the ground with his wounds fully healed though he looked sick and afraid. She stood again and walked over to one of the other werewolf’s bag, shuffling through it until she pulled out a water bottle and a t-shirt. She folded the shirt up into a rag and poured some water over it. Klaus continued watched her with curiosity as she walked back over to the man and began to gently rub his sweaty face with the rag and pouring some of the water into his mouth. He had never seen her look so gentle and calm before. She was completely focused on the man, allowing Klaus to watch her all he wanted without being met with a scowl.

Klaus glanced at her appearance. Her hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail and she wore the clothes he had someone pick up for her last minute. Sweat lined her eyebrows and nose, and her face was flushed red as a result of the heat. Despite this, she almost looked serene as she took care of the man. How was it that the girl could find some solace in this moment? He was certain she was nothing like Anastasia; the original had been kind and quiet. She would have given anyone the shirt off her back and never think to question those she respected. He had pegged Andy as a mean-spirited smartass with little kindness in her except for her family. He had been able to understand that assessment more than seeing her acting kind toward someone other than her own family boggled his mind. He remembered Stefan telling him how kind she had been to him when they first met.

He had to wonder if Andy hadn’t known who he was when they first met, how she would’ve treated him. While he was in Alaric’s body she hadn’t acted any different when she thought he was the history teacher. Klaus still recalled his shock upon Andy figuring out that something was wrong and that he wasn’t Alaric; she had picked up on it before anyone else and he still wasn’t sure how she had figured it out so quickly. Up until that point, she had treated him nice enough.

“I’m sure you’ve seen better days,” Andy murmured to the human, putting a hand on the human’s arm and squeezing it. Klaus felt himself scowl slightly. What did this man do to deserve her kindness? All he was here for was to help some werewolves out. He had done nothing for her other than feeding Ray, but even that he had been compelled to do. “What’s your name?”

“D-Derek…” The man managed to get out after a moment.

“My name is Andy. I’m—I’m sorry I can’t help you more,” she said hesitantly, looking up briefly to meet Klaus’ gaze. Klaus rolled his eyes at her, knowing she was probably cursing him for this. He turned away from the doppelganger to see Stefan was standing a few feet away. The Salvatore was watching him with a curious look and Klaus shrugged noncommittally as he realized he had been caught intently watching Andy. He hoped it came off as more disinterest and boredom than anything else.

Stefan had been watching them a lot in the past few days and Klaus needed to make sure he wasn’t showing any special treatment of Andy. Stefan had smartly not made any comments about what he had noticed—not that there was anything to notice—but Klaus still didn’t want Stefan getting the wrong idea about them.

Fortunately, he was saved any further scrutiny by Ray. “They’re dead. They’re all _dead_ ,” The man managed to choke out. Klaus turned to look at the hybrid, his arms wrapped around himself as he shivered.

Klaus hesitated a moment, wondering why he would be cold in this weather. He chalked it up to being in transition, though he couldn’t remember his own experience being like that. “Ah, he's through his transition. He should be feeling better soon,” Klaus said as he turned back to Stefan.

The Salvatore approached him, folding his arms over his chest as he drew closer. “So, is this your master plan? Build an army of hybrid slaves?” he questioned.

Klaus rolled his eyes. “No, not _slaves_. Soldiers, comrades.”

“For what war, might I ask?” Stefan questioned, narrowing his eyes at him.

“Oh, you don't arm yourself after war has been declared, Stefan. You build your army so big that no one ever dares pick a fight,” He pointed out with a smirk.

“What makes you so sure that they'll be loyal?” Stefan glanced around incredulously at all of the werewolves.

“Well, it's not difficult to be loyal when you're on the winning team. That's something you'll learn once you shake that horribly depressive chip off your shoulder,” Klaus commented, causing Stefan to laugh dryly.

“That's why you're, uh... you're keeping me around? To witness my attitude adjustment?” The Salvatore shook his head in disbelief. “I’m almost afraid to ask why you keep Andy around, though with your wandering eye I shouldn’t even have to ask.”

“You'll know why I'm keeping you around when I've decided that I want you to know,” Klaus said in annoyance. If Stefan was going to start picking on him about Andy, he would have to set the record straight. Turning back to Ray, Klaus frowned when he saw the man’s eyes had begun bleeding. He sat down next to him and grabbed his face to examine it. This _wasn’t_ right. Something was clearly off. “Something's wrong.”

“That shouldn't be happening, should it?” Stefan guessed as he came to stand behind him.

“Well, obviously,” Klaus bit back in irritation. As he was focused on Ray, he missed the look exchanged between his companions.

“Well, maybe it’s just because he’s a hybrid,” Andy commented as she walked over to stand next to Stefan. “After all we’ve never seen one transition before. Maybe this is how it’s supposed to go?”

Klaus stood and turned to look at them. They looked rather unbothered by all of this, but honestly, what could he expect of them? Both were forced into the situation. They didn’t give a damn about him or his hybrids. “I think you forget I am a hybrid, love. Perhaps you would like to provide Ray with some more blood?” He suggested, raising an eyebrow at her. He knew she would soon back out of letting the hybrids feed on her as soon as one did.

Andy looked back in annoyance but still walked over to Ray and sat where Klaus had just been. She rolled her sleeve up and gingerly offered her wrist out to him. Klaus watched closely as Ray didn’t hesitate to bite into her wrist. She flinched as his teeth sunk into her but watched the man with curiosity. Klaus had to admit she took it a lot better than he expected her to. With her general holier-than-thou attitude, he had anticipated she wouldn’t actually follow through with letting someone feed on her.

From the look of Ray’s expression, he seemed to be enjoying her blood. Klaus had briefly tasted her blood the night before when she pricked her finger on one of his fangs but hadn’t tasted anymore than those few drops. He knew her blood smelled different than others, but not quite like Elena’s. Elena’s blood had had a subtler difference in its smell and taste than a regular human’s, Andy’s scent was almost nonexistent, which was probably why the smell seemed foreign. It was how Milena’s had been, but even hers had some scent to it, even if it wasn’t as much.

“Okay, I think that’s good,” Andy said, trying to pull her wrist away but Ray was locked onto it. Klaus didn’t hesitate in moving forward and pulling Andy away from Ray. She gasped in surprise and held her wrist to her chest as Klaus held Ray back from her.

“Didn’t take too much, did he?” He asked her as he examined her wrist. When he had pulled her away from Ray his fangs had ripped more skin open, though it didn’t look like it would do much damage.

“I am feeling a little woozy,” Andy admitted, swaying on her feet a bit. He looked up at her pale face and shook his head.

“You won’t be in any shape to feed the others unless you drink my blood. Even then you’d only be good enough for a sip or two before you get sick again,” he said, putting a hand on her shoulder to balance her. She watched him with a weary expression as he led her over to another log to sit down. “I’m sorry, love. The boy will have to do.”

“Klaus—”

“I thought our terms were that you did what I say, when I say it,” Klaus pointed out, raising his eyebrows at her. She gave him an irritated look and opened her mouth to speak, but he continued speaking before she could get a word out. “You’ll be no use dead, Andy. I would like my doppelganger alive.”

“Guess I’m the one lucky doppelganger then,” She replied with a fake smile before letting it fall. “I’ll be fine. Just give me your blood.”

“You know vampire blood doesn’t heal you, Andy,” Stefan pointed out as he leaned against a tree. Klaus looked back at her in confusion. Vampire blood didn’t heal her?

“Is that right?” he asked her.

“It will be fine. They’ll be able to feed long before I can throw it up,” Andy insisted with a stern look. “Derek can’t take all of it himself.”

He sighed and glanced over at the man lying on the ground. “Who will be a constant thorn in my side if the hybrids drain you of all your blood? It is a risk I won’t take. I apologize, love. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Andy looked like a child sitting there, her bottom lip jutted out. If it wasn’t for her clear irritation, he would have laughed. He could barely contain it as she folded her arms over her chest. Her pouty face was too childish to be taken seriously and reminded him of his sister. Then again, she was practically a child still, something he tried not to think too much about.

Finally, she looked back at him and nodded, though she clearly was not happy with the situation. “Give me your word you won’t kill him,” she demanded, apparently not caring once again they had an audience.

“Andy…”

“I’ll stop acting like I have a stick up my ass, okay? We can be friends or whatever you want from me. He doesn’t deserve to die just because he was trying to his friends through their transition tonight,” Andy pointed out, her brown eyes pleading with him. “It can be my birthday present. I won’t ask anything else from you.”

He scoffed and rolled his eyes. He knew her requests would never be over. It was the same tactic Rebekah would use on him; she would insist that it was the last thing she would ask for, but she inevitably always asked for something else. “You want your birthday present just to be me sparing that boy’s life?”

“Friends give each other gifts,” she said softly, causing him to pause and study her face. She looked genuinely concerned for the human and he had to admit his frustration. It didn’t matter to him whether the boy lived or not, but he didn’t exactly want Stefan or Ray to think that Andy could just ask for anything and he would oblige. However, as she gave him the puppy dog eyes, his mind went back to his sister.

Klaus found himself unwillingly bending. One little request couldn’t hurt, right? It was just one life, and the man could easily be compelled to forget all of this. It wasn’t as if she was asking him to not turn any of the hybrids. “I give you my word I will not kill the boy,” Klaus said, rolling his eyes again. “Perhaps this will be enough for you to sit there and be quiet for once.”

“How am I supposed to believe you? I mean, you may just try to find a way to weasel out of it like you did with Elijah,” She pointed out, causing him to look at her in annoyance.

“I will allow you to remove the dagger from Elijah should I kill the boy. I give you my word,” Klaus replied in a low voice, knowing full well now he would not kill the boy now. The last thing he needed was his brother getting his revenge and running around to find where he stored their family.

Andy watched him for a moment before nodding, seemingly satisfied with this response. She looked down at her wrist and winced slightly. He would give her some of his blood if it would heal her. There had to be a first aid kit somewhere in the camp in case of emergencies. He stood and went over to one of the backpacks, searching through it until he found a first aid kit.

As he walked back over to Andy, he ignored Stefan, who he could feel watching them once again. Stefan didn’t want to be his friend, fine, but if Andy was going to extend the olive branch he wasn’t going to swat it away. If Stefan wanted to make his assumptions, then so be it. Perhaps Andy’s acceptance of their situation could be a way for Stefan to finally let go of everything back in Mystic Falls and be the same person from the twenties.

Klaus sat next to the doppelganger and pulled the bandages out from the kit. “I can do that—” she began, but he was quick to cut her off.

“You’re a lefty, love. You won’t be able to wrap your left arm with your non-dominant hand,” Klaus pointed out as he held out his hand for her to give him her arm. She narrowed her eyes at him before giving him her wrist. He gently held her wrist, doing his best not to think of the soft feeling of her skin. He had almost expected her skin to be rough. He had made sure she had all the toiletries she could want, but somehow her using one of the scented lotions seemed odd to him. He continued to silently wrap her wrist up, feeling her watching his face as he did. “Vampire blood really doesn’t heal you?”

“Uh, no, unfortunately. Or at least, not normal vampire blood. Got shot by a werewolf and Caroline gave me her blood. Less than a day later I was on Carol Lockwood’s bathroom floor throwing it all up and my wound had reopened,” Andy explained in a small voice, tilting her head as she turned her attention to his hands. “We haven’t exactly tested it again, though I was tempted to ask Elijah if I could try his blood. You never know, right? With all my freaky dreams and… anyway, I thought maybe it could be worth a shot.”

“We could now, but considering last night, we won’t be sure if my blood would be the reason you are throwing up,” he said with a shrug of his shoulders. Once he had finished wrapping her wrist, he looked up at her with a smile. “Not so bad, was it? My help isn’t always so terrible.”

“I’ll be damned. The hybrid knows at least how to do some practical things,” She replied, slowly pulling her arm back to her chest. “I didn’t know you knew anything about first aid, but you treated the wound surprisingly well… or at least from what I remember my dad teaching me back when I was in girl’s scouts for all of a month. I guess I should… er, thank you, Klaus.”

“Anything for a friend, love,” He replied with a grin, causing her to roll her eyes at him.

“You’re the poster child for the best friend ever, blah blah blah. Is that good or do I need to hype you up some more? Not really good at this ‘friend’ thing,” Andy said, crossing her arms over her chest. “Especially when the said friend is…” She trailed off, her gaze landing on Ray. She must have remembered she promised not to insult him in front of his hybrids. She exhaled and looked back at him with a pained expression as if holding in the insult had physically hurt her.

He let out a small chuckle and shook his head. “Don’t strain yourself, love. Just relax. I’m certain this won’t kill you,” Klaus put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed before he stood up, noticing that Stefan was still silently standing by. The Salvatore looked at him with a questioning look. Klaus simply ignored him once again and walked over to Ray, who seemed to be shaking more violently now. His eyes were still bleeding, and his eyes were bloodshot.

“You said it was gonna feel better. Why doesn't it feel better?” Ray questioned as he looked up at Klaus with a worried expression.

“Some master race,” Stefan snidely commented.

Klaus threw him an annoyed look. “Lose the attitude,” He shot back at him. He had just gotten Andy to lose a little of hers, the last thing he needed was Stefan making up for that.

Another woman finally woke up with a gasp. Klaus called to the human as he moved to the woman, “Derek, come feed your girlfriend.” As the human stood, Ray let out a snarl before he suddenly darted away from them. Klaus sighed in frustration and looked back at the Salvatore, who hadn’t budged one inch. “Go _get_ him.”

Stefan finally sped off after Ray and Klaus turned to see the woman was feeding on the man. A few of the others began to wake up and Klaus grabbed one to compel. “Nobody touches the girl while I’m gone. Is that clear? If anyone touches her, then you die,” he said, pointing to Andy. Once his compulsion had taken, Klaus sped off in the direction Stefan and Ray had gone, only to find Stefan standing alone, looking a bit shaken.

“Where did he go?” Klaus demanded. Stefan turned to him and quickly walked toward him.

“He, uh... he got away. Forget him. Let's go,” Stefan started to go past him, but Klaus grabbed his arm. Stefan stopped and looked at him with a hard look, but Klaus felt the irritated skin under his hand. He looked down at the werewolf bite on Stefan’s arm, raising his eyebrows at it. He must have been bitten before Ray got away. He wondered how Stefan had let Ray get away that easily even if he was a hybrid.

“A fatal werewolf bite. _Ouch_ ,” Klaus commented, dropping his hand from Stefan.

Stefan pulled his arm away and nodded grimly. “Yeah. I'm gonna need your blood to heal me.”

Klaus paused a moment, looking into his green eyes. Something about Stefan was off today, and he had been acting off ever since they had gotten back to Tennesse. Klaus straightened up as he spoke. “Well, I tell you what. You find Ray… and then I'll heal you.”

“You can't be serious,” Stefan said, the disbelief clear in his expression and tone.

“You better hurry, 'cause that bite looks nasty,” Klaus said before he turned and walked away from Stefan. When he arrived back at the campsite, Andy was standing now but had put some distance between her and the hybrids. They were all almost awake now, blood already pouring from their eyes as they all stared her like they were about to rip her head off, even the one he had compelled to make sure none of them touched her looked pained as he stood in between them.

“Something’s _seriously_ wrong, Klaus,” Andy murmured as she rushed over to him, her eyes wide.

“You don’t say?” Klaus replied in slight annoyance. She grabbed his arm as he went to walk toward his hybrids, causing him to pause to look back at her.

“Where is Stefan?” she asked, glancing back to where he had just emerged from the trees.

“He went to find Ray,” Klaus answered, noticing that night was beginning to fall around them. “I suspect the best course of action now is to let me deal with the hybrids. Just… stay out of the way, love. For your own sake.” He slipped out of her grasp and walked toward his hybrids, a heavy feeling falling over him. What if this didn’t work? What if his mother had cursed all hybrids? No, he couldn’t think about that. This _would_ work. It had to, or else he would be alone forever.

* * *

Andy was sitting by the fire, watching Klaus with a pensive expression. Stefan had been gone for a little over an hour now and all of the hybrids had drunk from Derek, the human who had been unfortunate to tag along tonight, but none of them had shown no signs of improvement. Klaus was busy pacing around the campsite, a worried look on his face as he kept an eye on his hybrids. He hadn’t spoken to her since he got back to the camp and she couldn’t help but feel how off this entire situation was.

She wondered why his hybrids meant so much to him. He clearly didn’t care for any of these people, but he had told Stefan he wanted to build an army, though he didn’t have the intention to fight anyone. Since she had been with him, she hadn’t seen him hang out with anyone but Stefan and her. If he spoke to someone it was for information or to give them orders, nothing more. All his family were apparently dead or housed daggers in their hearts like Elijah. She remembered that Elijah had said he had become a recluse in recent years. She had to wonder if all this mess with the hybrids was all just because he didn’t actually like being alone, which would explain why he wanted Stefan as a friend so badly. After all, he had lost two witches in Mystic Falls and outside of that, he hadn’t exactly been friendly to anyone else as far as she had seen.

Andy was certain he didn’t have any friends. Honestly, she found herself almost feeling bad for him for once, and related to him a bit in that sense. All her friends were Elena’s first. She had never really had a friend of her own, not outside of the rehabilitation center but even then, no one had kept up with one another after they had graduated from their program or left the program early. Then again, Klaus probably wasn’t able to keep many friends because of his homicidal tendencies. She remembered how he had put a sharp object to her throat when they first met. If that was how all of his friendships started, she wasn’t really surprised he had no one left.

“I want you to forget all of this,” Klaus said to Derek as he compelled the human. “Your girlfriend dumped you and you’ve never felt freer. Grab your backpack, go back home and forget all this ever happened.” Derek stood, grabbed a bag, and walked out of the campsite without a second look back. Andy hoped he would be okay going off on his own, but he would probably be safer than hanging around a bunch of hybrids looking like they were jonesing for their next drink.

Klaus looked over at Andy, and she offered a half-hearted smile. He smiled back at her after a moment, though he was clearly worried as well. She stood and went to go to him, but was suddenly yanked backward. Klaus started moving toward her, but a hand closed around her neck causing him to still. She was pressed against someone’s chest.

“Come any closer and I’ll rip her throat out,” A woman’s voice threatened, her breath hitting Andy’s cheek. Andy’s heart raced and she tried to struggle but the hand tightened around her neck. “Would be a shame if your girlfriend died because of you, wouldn’t it?”

“ _Careful_ , love. There's only one Alpha here,” Klaus said, his voice threatening but remained even as he glared at the woman. All the hybrids were staggering around the camp, their eyes bleeding as they came to see what the fuss was about. They looked like zombies to Andy, and she swallowed thickly as she realized soon she might be dead. She looked at Klaus in fear, wondering if he would actually let her die.

Klaus looked back at her, doing his best to keep his expression neutral but something told Andy that he wouldn’t allow her to be killed. Despite who she was looking at, she actually felt like she could trust him in this moment. It was the same feeling she had earlier when she was certain he wouldn’t let his hybrids hurt her as they fed, which he had proved when he yanked Ray off of her.

“You should have never come here,” The woman snarled before her teeth sunk deep into Andy’s flesh. The doppelganger screamed out in pain, but Klaus was on them in a second and slung the woman who had grabbed Andy against a tree.

Klaus turned to look at Andy and grabbed her by the shoulder. “Go!”

She held her hands to her neck, looking at him in worry. She didn’t know this woods or what else was out here, and he would be left alone to deal with his hybrids. “But—”

“ _Run_ , Andy!” He roared at her before turning his attention back to the hybrids who were all looking at her in hunger. “ _Now_! I promise I will find you in a little bit but you need to get out of here.”

After looking back at him one more time, she turned and began running away as fast as she could. She held her hands to her neck and fought the urge to look back as she ran through the woods. Would the hybrids be able to overpower Klaus? Surely, he would be fine, he was _the_ Original hybrid. He was going to be okay.

She wasn’t sure how long she ran for, but eventually, the little adrenaline spike she had run out and she found herself gasping for breath, leaning against a tree for support. Her neck was still bleeding, and she had no clue how far she had gone.

As she caught her breath, she realized she was lost at night in the Rocky Mountains. There was no way for her to find either Stefan or Klaus. She hadn’t kept track of where exactly she had come from, though she had a vague idea. Her only real hope was that they found her, as Klaus promised he would. There had to be countless dangers out here other than the hybrids that Klaus had been trying to make. She didn’t know anything about fighting.

Andy stood up from the tree, wondering if she should head back to the camp. She heard twigs snapping around her and other sounds. She didn’t care to find out what else was out here.

Suddenly the air was knocked out of her again as she was slammed face first into a tree. She struggled to get out of the hands that held her, but once again she felt teeth sink into her neck. Andy cried out in pain, but within another moment the hands disappeared. She fell to her knees and gasped for breath.

Looking back she saw Damon was struggling to hold Ray back. She gaped in surprise at the elder Salvatore as she sat up, wondering what he was doing here of all places.

Ray managed to pin Damon against a tree and was snapping his fangs at Damon, but Stefan sped over and yanked ripped the hybrid’s heart out through his back. Ray fell to the ground, lifeless, and Andy stared at his body in shock. Klaus was not going to be happy.

Stefan immediately turned and rushed over to Andy. “Are you okay?” he asked her as he helped her to her feet. His green eyes looked her over, and she was relieved to see something other than apathy in his eyes.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” She said with a reassuring smile despite feeling dizzy and uncertain if she could stand on her own. As put a hand on a tree to balance herself, her gaze moved back to Damon as the smile slowly slipped off her face. She hadn’t seen him in two months and now she didn’t know how to feel. She wondered who else could be out here with him as his icy blue eyes stared them down as Stefan helped her to her feet.

“Fancy meeting you two here,” Damon commented before he met Andy’s gaze. “It’s nice to see you’re still alive. Barely, it would seem, but at least you’re still human. Thought Klaus might have turned you into _Corpse Bride_.”

“What part of ‘don't follow us anymore’ got lost in translation, Damon?” Stefan demanded as he walked toward his brother. Andy stayed back, holding a hand to her bloodied neck and watching the two brothers. She knew if Jenna was here, or at least close enough to hear the commotion, then she would’ve already grabbed her and run. _Jenna must be at home, where she should be_ , Andy thought to herself. Andy knew how close Klaus already was to killing Damon for tracking them. If Jenna put herself in danger after everything, Andy might just kill her herself.

“Might want to take it up with your girlfriend. You don't want her chasing you, I'd stop with the late-night phone calls,” Damon replied, causing Andy to look over at Stefan in confusion. Had he called Elena? Why had he put her in danger like that? If Klaus had overheard, it would have ruined everything they had done to keep it from him… and he would know that she never died. Andy realized with a wave of nausea that the hybrids could be acting up because of something to do with the sacrifice, after all, Elena had survived. If Klaus’ hybrids didn’t end up working, she had a feeling he wasn’t going to just let it go and move on.

“I didn't call her,” Stefan said defensively, drawing Andy out of her thoughts. He wouldn’t meet her gaze though and focused solely on his brother.

“Sure you did. She's not gonna give up on either of you…” Damon glanced over his shoulder before looking at Andy. “Same goes for you, Andy. I don’t know if calling Jenna using a waitress’ phone in Tennessee when we know that state was Klaus’ last known whereabouts was a smart idea. For people who don’t want to be saved, you have a funny way of showing it.”

“ _I_ didn’t call her,” Andy repeated Stefan’s words but tried to make them believable, though he didn’t look convinced by her either.

“Jenna would want to see you. She’s out here looking for you. She went the opposite way I did. It would only take five minutes. You can’t be that anxious to get back to Klaus.”

“Damon, I’m not leaving Klaus,” Andy said firmly as she walked to stand next to Stefan. “You all are better off giving up on us. I’m never coming back, and neither is Stefan. Jenna best let me go. You better let Stefan go. Klaus is going to kill you all if you don’t stop. I can’t say you guys didn’t bring it on yourself at this point.”

Damon’s face scrunched. “So, you’ve drunk the Kool-Aid as well?”

“I made a deal, Damon. _I_ made my choice, nobody else. Respect that,” Andy said to him, her voice stern as she straightened herself. “Go home and forget about us. We’ll certainly forget about you all. Just give it some time and it will be as if we were never there to begin with.”

“I suppose telling you that Elijah left you a note couldn’t entice you back to Mystic Falls?” Damon said as he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. Andy gaped at him for a second before a scowl overtook her features. He was just saying that to her. Even if he wasn’t lying, she had no interest in hearing what Elijah had to say. _Screw him and his letters_ , she thought to herself as she turned and started to walk away.

“Goodbye, Damon. Tell Elena I said happy belated birthday.”

“Why don't you get Elena home? See if you could keep her there this time,” Stefan said to Damon before he picked up Ray and walked after Andy, who had tensed at hearing that her sister was also running around these woods. They walked in silence for a moment before Stefan veered off from her. She followed him, figuring he knew better how to get them back to Klaus. He laid Ray’s body on the ground before he continued walking. She trailed behind him, curious what he was doing.

“I think Damon’s gone now. I don’t hear Jenna or anyone else,” Stefan said her as he turned his head to look back at her. He looked down at her neck and she pretended not to see the light veins that popped out around his eyes. She trusted Stefan not to hurt her. “Why were you out running?”

“The hybrids… they went crazy and one tried to kill me. Klaus told me to run,” Andy explained as she followed Stefan down a pathway. He led her to the edge of a cliff where they were looking down at a car. Andy’s breath caught in her throat as she recognized the blonde hair from afar. _Jenna_ … Elena stood in front of her aunt and Alaric, the three of them talking. She had considered that Damon’ words were lies, but seeing Jenna here in the flesh, looking for her, felt agonizing. It felt like her heart was being ripped in two. Jenna was here for _her_.

Andy felt her eyes water up as she gazed at Jenna. She looked fine and no different than she had the last time she had seen her. Stefan reached over and grabbed her hand, undoubtedly feeling something similar running through him. They squeezed one another’s hands as they watched their loved ones in silence. Jenna looked upset as she pointed into the woods and yelled something at Alaric. Damon finally appeared and began quickly ushering Elena into the car. Jenna looked at him before looking up at the woods, her eyes scanning for someone, for _her_.

“We should go,” Stefan whispered. Andy nodded and began to back away until her aunt and sister had disappeared entirely. Andy didn’t realize until it was too late that she hadn’t even taken in Elena’s appearance. She did her best to swallow back her tears as they went back and retrieved Ray’s body. Stefan began to lead them in the right direction, or at least Andy hoped it was.

Stefan faltered with Ray’s body a few times and she finally noticed the nasty bite on him. “You’re hurt,” she noted, concern in her voice.

“Yeah, Ray managed to bite me. Klaus wouldn’t heal me until I brought Ray back…” He trailed off, sighing.

“Well, you did bring him back. He’ll heal you and everything will be fine.”

“Andy, something is wrong with his hybrids. You and I both know this is just the beginning,” Stefan replied, looking over at her with a knowing look. Andy sighed and looked forward, hoping Klaus wouldn’t question her if they had done something to mess with the sacrifice. If he compelled her, she would have to answer.

“You need to compel me,” Andy said suddenly as she stopped walking. Stefan stopped as well and turned to look back at her. “Compel me to believe she died or something. If you don’t, and Klaus starts to dig deeper, he’ll be able to ask me.”

“He’d be able to compel me as well,” Stefan pointed out as he sat Ray’s body down again.

Andy ran a hand down her face. “What do we do, Stefan? If he finds out then everything we did will be for nothing. He’ll kill everyone.”

Stefan walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, hey. We won’t let him even consider going back there, okay? He has no reason to go back there, especially after what he told you earlier.”

Andy swallowed and searched Stefan’s eyes. “You heard that?”

“Even if we don’t talk much anymore, I still keep an eye on you, Andy,” Stefan said as he squeezed her shoulder in comfort. “You need to be careful, whatever the situation. I think Klaus might be in trouble.”

“What kind of trouble?”

“Andy, I don’t think you need to be any more friendly with him than you already are. You don’t need to give him any reason to keep you longer than he already has,” Stefan said, evading her question as he went over to pick up Ray. “We should get back to him. The last thing we need is for him to come find us.”

The rest of their walk was silent. Andy wondered what Stefan meant by not being any more friendly toward Klaus. Sure, he had a relationship with two other people who looked exactly like her, but she was also certain that she wasn’t his type. If anything, she was certain he would prefer vampires to humans even for a fling. No, there was nothing between her and Klaus, nor did she see anything ever happening between them. He had done so much damage to her life as is.

Andy’s thoughts went back to her family and how her aunt and sister had been in the same vicinity as her tonight. She thought Jenna would have moved on from her, but why else would she have been here tonight? She had come for Andy and that fact made her want to run back to the car and forget the deal with Klaus. She was sure she could get Stefan to tell Klaus he hadn’t seen Andy. She could pretend to be lost in the woods and Klaus would be none the wiser… and yet, something kept her from doing that. She wasn’t sure if it was everything she had seen in the past couple of months, but she couldn’t return home, not _now_. Something whispered to her that she needed to be with Klaus. She couldn’t leave Stefan alone after all.

Then there was the fact she had gone along with everything Klaus said—seen so many people die and had done nothing to stop it. She didn’t deserve to be alive or happy any more than those who had died did.

When they arrived back to the campsite, Andy’s jaw dropped as she noticed the rest of pack lying on the ground dead. She looked to see Klaus was sitting with a beer bottle in his hands, as he sipped on it. His expression was dark and somber. As they approached he didn’t look up at them, instead keeping his gaze down. Stefan dropped Ray’s body on the ground as they watched Klaus. When the body hit the ground, Klaus finally looked up at them as Stefan held his injured arm in pain.

“They went rabid. Some of them, I killed. The others just... bled out. In the end... they're all dead,” He stood as he spoke and glanced around at the bodies again. Suddenly, he let out a gut-wrenching scream that caused Andy to flinch. He chucked the bottle across the camp, shattering it as it connected with a tree. “I did _everything_ I was told!” He yelled as he turned to look at them. He stopped yelling and regained some of his composure, but continued breathing heavily as he faced them down, his voice growing quieter as he spoke. “I should be able to turn them. I broke the curse. I killed a werewolf, I killed a vampire… I killed the doppelgänger.”

Andy exhaled softly and put a hand on her bloodied neck, feeling a bit dizzy from everything. A part of her was actually feeling bad for him. A very, _very_ small part. He had been trying to break the curse for hundreds of years at the very least and now when he finally did, he wasn’t able to turn hybrids. Presumably, because Elena survived the sacrifice. Glancing over at Stefan, she saw he looked just as uncomfortable as she did. She looked back at Klaus and hoped that he couldn’t read their discomfort easily.

“You look like hell,” Klaus commented. “You both do.”

“Last I checked, I'm dying... and you don't want to heal me,” Stefan pointed out.

Andy looked back at Klaus to see he was looking at Ray’s body, a broken look in his eyes. She swallowed before speaking up. “It’s my fault. Ray attacked me and tried to kill me. Stefan had no choice but to kill him. I’m sorry.”

“I had to take him out. I was supposed to bring him back alive. _I_ failed you. I’m sorry,” Stefan said as he stepped forward. “Do what you have to do.”

“It should have worked,” Klaus murmured in a soft voice as he looked at Stefan with a hard look in his eye. The two stared at one another for a long moment before Klaus turned around and picked up an empty bottle of beer. He looked back up at Stefan as if he was still making a decision on whether he wanted to heal the vampire. Finally, he bit his hand and made a fist to drain some of his the blood in the bottle. After he had filled it a little bit, he held the bottle out to Stefan.

“Bottoms up. We're leaving,” Klaus said, his arm outstretched. Stefan stood in place for a moment before stepping forward and taking the bottle from him. Klaus looked down at all of the corpses around the camp before focusing back on them. “It appears you’re the only comrades I have left.” Stefan started drinking the blood and Klaus went to leave but paused to look back at them. “See Andy back to the house I told you about. Make sure someone patches her up.”

“Klaus,” Andy said, stepping toward him. He paused but didn’t turn to look at her. “Where are you going?”

“I need some alone time. Don’t worry, love, I’ll see you later,” He said after a moment. Andy watched him leave with a frown, debating with herself whether he deserved this.

* * *

_Bones cracking. Anger. Hurt. Hatred. Why me? Why did I have to be the bastard? Why did they hate me? My entire body is on fire. I feel like I’m about to pass out from the pain until suddenly, everything falls into place. Run, just run. It’s the only thing that makes sense. Run until Mikael can’t get you until all of it is far enough in your past you never have to think about it again. Run until you’re alone. Stupid boy, he says, you’ve always been alone and it’s all your fault. Always and forever._

Andy replayed the thoughts in her mind as she dried her hair with a towel. Shortly after Klaus had disappeared, she and Stefan had started hiking back to the car. Stefan had decided to just carry her so it would go faster since it was already pretty late. However, before they could get very far, Andy had crumpled up into a ball because of the pain that had hit her out of nowhere.

Once again, she was feeling Klaus’ emotions. He was turning into a werewolf and Andy had experienced the full thing. It had ended quickly, but if it hadn’t been for Stefan’s words of encouragement, Andy was certain she would have passed out from the pain. She wasn’t sure how Klaus had managed to make it through the transition. She was also still bleeding from her neck, though Stefan had tried using the little bit of gauze left to help with it.

After that, their journey to the hotel had been uneventful to both of their relief. Stefan had asked if she needed anything and seemed like he wanted to talk to her more, but she avoided speaking to him by saying all she wanted to do was shower and sleep, which was true. Still, her thoughts in the shower had been all focused on one person.

Klaus had been nothing but a menace in Mystic Falls. The first time they had officially spoken, he had held a sharp object to her throat and threatened her. He had killed countless people in front of her, he had even compelled people she knew to kill one another. He compelled her birth mother to his side. He killed Elena and Isobel, and then technically John. He tried killing Jenna, Tyler, and Caroline among others. He had done so much to her family and, yet he had actually been nice to her today, seeming genuine in his offer of help to get over her addiction. Then he seemed so distraught and his feelings of loneliness proved her theory that the hybrids may just be so he would have someone. This had also marked the first time she had felt something for him that was dangerously close to sympathy.

He was alone. That was why he was doing all of this. He wanted a family and he thought that’s what his hybrids could be. That was why he wanted Stefan; he _wanted_ a friend. That, she could sympathize with. She had always had a family, she always had a place where she belonged. Klaus didn’t have that, not anymore at least. Though she didn’t agree with his methods, she found herself sympathizing with him to an extent. She did wonder how much of his loneliness was by his own doing.

Andy walked downstairs as she left the towel hanging on her shoulders. As she walked toward the kitchen, she noticed the light in the living room was on. She walked in to see Klaus was sitting on the couch with sketch paper and charcoal in hand. She paused for a moment, looking him over and seeing no indication that he was angry. He looked like he was deep in thought and looked rather somber. Earlier at the campsite, he didn’t seem to think anything had gone wrong with the sacrifice. Perhaps he believed there was another cause.

“Well, you look a lot better,” Andy said as she leaned against the doorway. She wore only her pajamas now—a tank top and shorts because of the heat—and hadn’t expected to find him in the living room of the house. To be fair, the sun hadn’t even risen yet but she had expected him to be back until late in the morning. Klaus looked up at her, not offering a smile or words as he drank in her appearance. “I’d offer you a drink, but I think I’ve already got enough holes in me.”

“I didn’t expect to see you up,” He admitted after a moment of silence.

“I stunk and needed to change. I can never sleep after showers, though... so, do you mind if I join you for a bit?” She asked, mentally kicking herself. She shouldn’t be down here with him. She should’ve continued into the kitchen to find food then go upstairs and lock herself in her room. But something in her was almost… _concerned_ for him, something she wasn’t sure she could trust. She told herself it was to discern if he knew about Elena being alive though, even if he had no reason to believe that she had survived the sacrifice.

Klaus nodded and returned to his drawing. She sat across from him and watched him for a few moments. He looked so normal as he sat there. He didn’t outwardly act upset either, though Andy suspected he was still feeling down. It took a thousand years for the curse to be broken, and now his hybrids couldn’t even survive the transition.

“How are you feeling?” He looked up at her in surprise and she had to admit her own surprise. She didn’t know why she wanted to know if he was okay. She felt bad for what happened to him, but she also knew she was glad that Elena was alive. If he couldn’t make hybrids because of that, so be it.

“Perfectly fine,” He replied, his cerulean eyes going back to the paper.

“You can talk to me if you want to, you know. Friends do that,” She pointed out, eliciting a smile from him as he rolled his eyes.

“Somehow I doubt this is a topic you wish to discuss. You must be happy, after everything. I terrorized your town, killed some of your loved ones, and I still didn’t get what I wanted.”

Andy remained quiet for a moment before she spoke. “I’m not happy about any of it, Klaus. All those people died for nothing today.”

“I’m sorry to disappoint you,” Klaus replied with a bitter tone.

“What do you want me to say? You want me to lie and say that I didn’t feel even a little satisfaction. I did. You killed my sister and my mother along with a lot of other shit,” Andy said, which earned her a scathing look from him. She continued before he could say anything. “However, I recognize that this isn’t easy for you. You’ve spent centuries trying to break that stupid curse, but you got the main thing you wanted. You are a hybrid, Klaus. Why do you need to create more?”

“I don’t need to, but I want to because I can. Or at least I thought I could,” Klaus muttered as he sat his drawings to the side and folded his arms over his chest.

“I think you just don’t want to be the only hybrid. I think you want to have others like you, which is why you made Stefan drink blood to become a ripper. You don’t want to be alone,” Andy said softly. Klaus rolled his eyes and scoffed.

“You have me all figured out, do you?”

Andy shook her head. “You ever think that maybe this is karma for all the shit you’ve done? A thousand years is a long ass time to torture and murder people. Maybe you just won’t be able to make hybrids. The curse held _your_ hybrid nature back, not others. Maybe other witches or nature put in safeguards so even if you broke the curse, there couldn’t be others. You don’t need an army, you said it yourself. You’re the Klaus Mikaelson. You don’t need anybody, though I suppose that does get lonely after a while. That’s why you brought Stefan along, isn’t it? You wanted a friend, a _comrade_.”

Klaus watched her evenly for a moment before he gave a half-hearted shrug. “I am the original hybrid. I _don’t_ need anybody.”

“Is that why you carry your family around in coffins?” She probed, causing him to narrow his eyes at her. “You want to wake them up, don’t you? But you know when you do… they won’t be very happy with you, so that’s why they’re still in there. I don’t know what they did to you,” She said, her voice growing quieter as she continued. “Elijah… He might have been willing to kill you at one point. Maybe for a second. But I should’ve known he couldn’t have gone through with it, even if you hadn’t told him about your family. I think a part of me knew he couldn’t, but he was so certain he could go through with it. If any of that is a consolation for him trying to kill you. Though, I imagine even if you removed the dagger from him now he wouldn’t be thrilled to see you.”

Andy stared off into space, her mind slipping back to the moment in the apartment when Elijah had spoken about family. Klaus was his little brother, even if he had done all of that stuff to their family. Andy herself had seen in her dreams how friendly their interactions were, how much Elijah cared for Klaus once. She felt so stupid for trusting that Elijah would be able to kill his little brother.

“I have done a lot to you, haven’t I?” She looked back at him in surprise as his voice broke the silence. “I suppose I could’ve gotten my point across better than killing your coworkers…” He hesitated a moment before he sighed and sat his materials aside. He leaned toward her, his cerulean eyes never leaving hers once. “I’m sorry about your mother and sister. If there had been any other way, I would have done it… but witches are finicky. Your sister had to die. I couldn’t wait another five hundred years, not when the line could be wiped out.”

“Your mother… She put the curse on you because she was ashamed?” Andy questioned, doing her best to steer the conversation away from Elena, though the fact he apologized for killing Isobel was eating at her thoughts. He had done it to get back to her but now was singing another tune. She remembered Klaus once telling her that he was his mother’s greatest shame and had taken measures to ensure he never became a hybrid. He had told her during their first conversation that it was his mother who placed the curse.

His eyes flashed amusement, but the look was gone before she could question it. “No, at that point her shame was for all to see. She did it to spite me and the sanctity of nature,” He said bitterly as he shook his head and sat back in his chair. “There are many things those dreams of yours never showed. Hopefully, they stay gone. I will admit hearing about them unsettled me. If you had been anyone else, I would have killed you for even having a glimpse of my past. I am almost surprised Elijah allowed the dreams to continue, though he could never resist a pretty face and snarky mouth.”

“They came out of nowhere. It was after I first met him. Though I didn’t even know they were real until he confirmed it,” She paused a moment and looked him over. “I’m sorry you had to go through that,” Andy murmured as he sent her a questioning look. She cleared her throat and elaborated. “In the dreams… I saw how Mikael was. No one should be treated like that, ever. Not even the original hybrid asshole.”

A small smile curled at his lips. “So, Andrea Gilbert does know how to speak kind words, ignoring that last insult. And here I was thinking you treated all your friends like they were heartless, monstrous bastards.”

Andy rolled her eyes and sat back in the chair. “Lucky for you I don’t have many friends.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You decided to cut ties with those in Mystic Falls then? I noticed you haven’t exactly called any of them.”

“It’s—It’s easier if I just let them go. If they let _me_ go,” Andy admitted in a small voice as she curled her legs beneath her. She avoided his gaze for the next part. “And the only ones probably genuinely concerned with getting me back are my family. I mean, the rest of them were really Elena’s friends, not mine. As for Damon… he was always in love with my sister. I think maybe he and I were friends, at some point. He did a lot when I got back to town. Stefan and I... are complicated. We are friendly, but his priority was always…” She cleared her throat and shook her head. “I’m nothing to him, to all of them. In the long run, they’ll forget me. They did while I was in rehab. A couple years down the road all Andrea Gilbert will have been to that town is Miranda and Grayson Gilbert’s crazy daughter who probably became a drug addict, never to be heard from again. If they even remember me. The most noteworthy thing I did was work at the Grill and punch the Sherriff’s daughter once.”

“On the contrary, I don’t think you are that forgettable, love. Your aunt cares for you. She hunts with Damon for you and Stefan,” He pointed out. “After everything you did to save her life…”

“Jenna has been my best friend since I was little. They always said I was like her,” Andy said, a fond smile on her face as she thought about the blonde standing by the car arguing with Alaric. “I was practically attached at her hip when she got sick with pneumonia. She had moved in with us because my father was a doctor. I was only seven, but I was so afraid she was going to die. I didn’t understand any of that stuff, you know? I would sleep on the floor by the bed just to make sure she was still breathing. If my parents tried to carry me to bed, I’d wake up and stand my ground. Nothing was ever going to take her from me.”

“Perhaps… Perhaps you can visit her,” Klaus offered, causing Andy to look at him in surprise.

“You’d let me visit?”

“You are human, Andy. Even if I don’t care for humans, I realize your lives are over in the blink of an eye. Jenna is a vampire now. It wouldn’t make me a very good friend to keep you away from your family forever,” Klaus replied, a smile pulling at his lips. She gave him a smile in return and glanced down at his notebook.

“What are you drawing?”

“Oh, nothing,” Klaus pulled the paper further back in the cushion, causing her to raise an eyebrow at him. “It’s not finished. I don’t like showcasing unfinished work.”

“Okay, Picasso,” Andy said as she stood. “I’m going to find myself something to eat… Do you want anything? Or would it mess up your flow?”

“Uh, nothing right now. Maybe in a bit.”

“Suit yourself,” She shrugged and started to walk out but paused to look back at him. “You know, Klaus, you’re not half as bad as I thought. You’re tolerable when you want to be. Even if you have no respect for human life or boundaries.”

Klaus looked up at her with a half-smile. “Don’t get too comfortable, love. I may surprise you yet.”

She rolled her eyes. “Right. I forgot you will always and forever be an ass.”

His eyebrows shot up. “I wasn’t aware your dreams had continued.”

“They haven’t, not since I’ve been with you at least. Why do you say that?”

“No reason,” Klaus hesitated a moment before he stood and crossed the room to her.

“Goodnight, Andy.” He turned back to his drawing and she managed to catch a glimpse of it. It was of Anastasia, or of Milena… or she supposed it could be her. She looked back at him and inhaled slightly, her mind going back to all of the corpses of the dead hybrids lying around. She wondered what made her feel bad for him despite all of those people dying. After everything he had done, a part of her actually felt bad for him.

“Goodnight, Klaus.”

**_~ * • ° • ° • * ~_ **


	22. Trust in Me

**_Poison & Wine ~ Chapter XXII_ **

**_~ * • ° • ° • * ~_ **

“This is the last time I let you choose the music as long as I live,” Andy sighed in exasperation as the last song came to a conclusion.

Klaus looked over at her and raised an eyebrow. “I thought you were a Beatles fan.”

“Not when I hear _LOVE_ on repeat for four hours straight, Klaus,” She replied in annoyance before turning to look out the window, hoping the slight headache that had begun to bother her would soon disappear. They were approaching Chicago, Illinois. Andy wasn’t sure why Klaus had brought them here, as he had never mentioned Chicago before, but late in the afternoon, Klaus had left in a hurry, not offering any explanation to them. Stefan had been silent the entire drive despite Klaus’ attempts to talk to him, and Andy’s own attempts at speaking with Stefan didn’t go beyond a few sentences. Andy had spoken to Klaus a little bit, which seemed to drive Stefan further into his broody silence.

_“Tell me, do you enjoy school?” Klaus asked as he drove down the highway. Andy was sitting in the backseat while Klaus drove and Stefan rode shotgun, which she didn’t mind because she was able to hide her face from the hybrid for the most part. Honestly, Andy had been surprised Klaus had decided to drive most of the way himself and not get her or Stefan to take over, but so far, he had done the driving entirely by himself._

_“That’s what you want to talk about?_ School _?” She asked, looking at him incredulously._

_“I suppose we could talk about your hopes for the future. What you wish to do after high school, or with your life in general. You’ve never spoken about it.”_

_“I barely passed my sophomore year and wasn’t even there to finish my junior year. I hate homework and the only class I ever slightly enjoyed was English, but even that is terrible. I guess if I was planning on going to college, Whitmore might accept me on the sole fact that I was the Grayson Gilbert’s daughter,” Andy admitted with a shrug. “A lot of my family went there, too. You know how colleges like legacies.”_

_“Your father sounds like he was well-liked. You’ve only mentioned him a couple times.”_

_“Both of my parents were loved by everyone who ever met them. No one hated them, no one could,” She grew quiet and looked over at Stefan in the passenger seat. His jaw was clenched, and he was gazing out of the window with a grave look. Andy remembered being told how he had saved Elena over her parents. She didn’t want to bring them up and make Stefan even more upset than he was. “I don’t want to talk about them either.”_

_“Of course.”_

Other than that, they hadn’t spoken a lot outside of commenting on whatever song was playing at the moment. Andy had wanted to sing but was admittedly afraid of getting laughed at by Klaus. She knew she was tone deaf and barely even sang around Jenna, who was equally bad at singing. Even if Klaus didn’t like others laughing at him, she wouldn’t put it past him to comment on her pitchy singing. That was an embarrassment she would prefer to avoid for the moment.

“I am entirely afraid of what you would play,” Klaus admitted with a soft smile as he met her gaze in the rearview mirror. “I almost imagine we would be listening to Nickelback the entire time.”

“Pft, you lived through all of the shit I’d play… though, I suppose there’s not much you haven’t lived through, you old dirtbag. Anyway, we would start with Bowie and Queen and work our way up to the grunge period. Pearl Jam would be the end goal, though there are many others I’d like to play,” Andy explained, crossing her arms over her chest as Klaus scrunched his nose in distaste. “What? My parents exclusively played music before the 2000s. Don’t judge me.”

Klaus shook his head at her, a smile playing on his lips. “Remind me to never let you play music, love. It seems that we will be stuck with Stefan choosing the music.”

“I think Stefan likes Bon Jovi. I could deal with them for a bit I suppose,” Andy shrugged and looked over at Stefan with a small smile. He clearly had no interest to join the conversation as he kept his head turned away from them, an unamused expression on his face. He hadn’t spoken to her much in the last day; not that it wasn’t unlike him to do that, but she had thought that after the incident in the woods that something would change in their relationship. Stefan was as distant as ever, and Andy felt helpless in trying to get him to come out of that shell Klaus was so eager to manipulate.

“Ah, here we are,” Klaus announced, a smile on his lips. Andy unbuckled and moved over to the window so that she could see the building better. She hadn’t seen any big city in her time with Klaus since Atlanta. It was nighttime and that had made the city even more beautiful and bright. Just like Atlanta, she was amazed to see a place look as if it was still daytime despite how late it was.

“How long are we staying?” Andy asked, trying to hide the excitement in her voice. She wanted to explore the city and see what it had to offer. With any hope, Klaus would let her since she had not gotten the chance to experience Atlanta. She could do without him as her tour guide this time, though wouldn’t mind entirely if he tagged along.

“As long as it takes to get some answers… Why, love? Would you want to stay longer?” Klaus asked as he turned his head to look back at her. “I suppose I would owe you that after Georgia. We will do our best to avoid any gardens this time.”

“As long as you try not to be a major dickwad this time around, we should be good. I know how difficult that will be for you,” She replied as she looked over to meet his gaze with a mocking look before she turned her attention back out of the window. “It seems like it would take forever to take in something this massive. I mean, I knew the entirety of Mystic Falls by the time I was eight. This… this is something else entirely. There’s so many people, so many different places.”

“Perhaps we can do some sight-seeing after we handle some business,” Klaus promised, causing her to throw him a quick smile which he returned. They drove for a while in silence through the traffic-filled streets. Eventually, they veered off and started to leave behind all the bright lights. Andy sunk back into her seat as they arrived at a warehouse and pulled into one of the opened garages, a bit put out that it would be a little longer before she would get some sleep. The three climbed out of the car and Klaus glanced at his companions with a smirk.

“Welcome to Chicago, Andy. Stefan, welcome back to Chicago,” He said as he walked toward a door in the warehouse as the garage door closed behind them. Andy looked over at them in curiosity. It made sense that Stefan had traveled, but how did Klaus know for sure that Stefan had been here before?

“What are we doing here?” Stefan asked as he followed the hybrid, making sure he stayed by Andy’s side. She wordlessly followed next to Stefan, watching his reaction in hopes of catching any recognition on his face. He looked unsettled himself, making Andy wonder if it was the fact they were coming here for his silence.

“I know how much you loved it here. Bringing back memories of the good old ripper days?” Klaus said as he opened the door to reveal a skyline of the city. Andy stood behind the men and gazed at the buildings as a tractor-trailer truck pulled in behind them. She tried to ignore the thoughts of the coffins within, and who exactly was in them. She hadn’t seen them much since the night they left Mystic Falls, but every once in a while, Andy would catch sight of the truck transporting the coffins. It brought back a flurry of emotions, most of all the bitter sting that the whole reason she was in this situation was a result of Elijah being unable to kill his brother when he was the only one who knew where their family was.

“Blacked out most of them. A lot of blood, a lot of partying. The details are all a blur,” Stefan admitted as he admired the skyline. Andy shook the thoughts about Elijah away and focused back on the men before her.

“Well, that is a crying shame. The details are what make it legend,” Klaus said before he turned to Andy to elaborate. She regarded him wearily, uncertain she wanted to hear the details. “Word was the ripper of Monterrey got lonely so he escaped to the city for comfort. It was Prohibition. Everything was off limits then, which made everything so much fun. You would’ve loved it, Andy. The girls were reckless, sexy, fun. They literally used to dance until they dropped.”

“Did that ever happen to their dance partners?” Andy shot back, cause him to roll his eyes.

“Sometimes, but never to me. I have plenty stamina, love.”

“Ew. I don’t know if you’re too old to know this, but there is something called ‘too much information,’” Andy scrunched her nose and shook her head at the innuendo. She folded her arms over her chest and nodded toward Stefan, wanting the get away from where the conversation had veered. “Why do you know so much about Stefan anyway? Do you have some kind of obsession with him? Because that would actually explain a lot,” she questioned, raising an eyebrow. She had seen Klaus’ interest in the Salvatore before, but she had figured it was just a friendly curiosity. However, now Klaus was acting as if he knew more about Stefan than he had let on in the last few months, and Stefan was now just as suspicious of the hybrid’s motives.

“It was difficult not to hear about his work, love,” Klaus replied in an even voice before he turned to deal with the men handling the coffins. Once Klaus was distracted, Andy turned to look at Stefan, who had a distant look on his face as he scrutinized the hybrid.

“Are you okay?” She asked, putting a hand on his arm to get his attention. He looked back at her and forced a small smile.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine, Andy. It’s just been a while since I’ve been back here. I… I don’t remember a lot, honestly.”

“Stefan… We haven’t gotten a chance to talk yet,” She glanced to make sure Klaus was busy before she continued. “Do you think that Damon will leave us alone for good? He’s putting everyone at risk and I—I just don’t need that worry, not with everything else going on.”

“I haven’t heard anything after I killed Andie. Maybe he’s learned,” Stefan shrugged as he spoke.

Andy’s eyebrows shot up and she dropped her hand from his arm. “You did _what_?”

“He was following us, Andy. He wouldn’t let us go so I killed Andie to send a message,” Stefan explained in a nonchalant manner. She knew that meant that Elena was tracking them as well and that put her at risk with Klaus. But killing Andie? She had done nothing but be with Damon.

“When was this?”

“On your birthday.” Andy swallowed thickly, wondering how this had gotten past her. Stefan had made no mention of it before now. Damon had still come for Stefan—or perhaps, had come because Elena did—even after that. Stefan was letting her know that Damon definitely wasn’t done with them but Andy still didn’t understand where Stefan had thought killing Andie would solve anything.

“You didn’t have to _kill_ her, Stefan! She did nothing wrong, she—”

“Do you think any of the other people I’ve killed this past summer did anything wrong? Or is it different because you actually knew her? Even then, all she was to him was a blood bag and walking sex,” Stefan demanded, his green eyes hard as he peered down at her. Andy folded her arms over her chest and looked at him with a pained expression. “Don’t look at me like that, Andy. You’ve seen me kill before. This shouldn’t be a surprise to you. Think what you want, I don’t care anymore. You shouldn’t care either, though maybe you don’t the way you hang around Klaus. You know, charming him probably won’t make him let you go anytime soon.”

“I’m _not_ charming him,” Andy snapped as she glared at him, wondering why there was a sudden beef between the two of him. “I have _no one else_ to talk to, Stefan. You have hardly spoken to me ever since my birthday. I’m going to go crazy if I don’t talk to somebody. It’s not like I can just call up Jenna, not after everything.”

Stefan looked away for a moment, his eyes softening ever so slightly before he nodded and looked back at her. “It’s your choice, just… be careful, Andy. Even if he seems to like you, all it would take is one thing to set him off and you’d end up on the dinner menu.”

She snorted and shook her head. “ _Like_ me? I think he tolerates me than anything,” Stefan gave her a pointed look to which she rolled her eyes at. “If you’ve something to say, spit it out, Salvatore. We’re better than dancing around shit at this point.”

“Forget it,” Stefan shifted uncomfortably. Andy opened her mouth to speak but was suddenly hit with a wave of nausea. She turned to see a coffin being wheeled on the walkway next to them and one specific one caught her eye. It wasn’t Elijah’s; no, his had a scratch on the bottom left corner. She swallowed and clenched her fists as the malevolent force in the room seemed to almost be calling her forward, though a fear rose in Andy that made her want to run far away from it. She felt her mouth drying up and her heart began to pound in her chest.

“Everything okay?” Stefan questioned, noticing her distraction and furrowing his brow in concern. He looked back at the coffin himself.

“Something… _someone’s_ in that coffin,” Andy murmured to him, not taking her eyes off the wooden box for a moment. “It’s not Elijah but someone else. I don’t think—”

“Well, yes, they all have someone in them. That is what a coffin is for, no?” Klaus cut her off as he followed behind the last coffin. Andy looked up at him, searching his face for some indication of who was in the coffin, but he kept his expression neutral, avoiding meeting her gaze directly. He stopped in front of them and glanced at them. “Are you two done with your heartfelt exchange? The road has me a bit tired and I’d like to get some shut-eye before our big day tomorrow. I assumed our doppelganger would agree. After all, the only time you slept was right before we hit that pothole.”

“Once again, I am _not_ your doppelganger. And we all know you hit that pothole on purpose since Stefan wouldn’t talk to you and I was the only other option,” Andy stated flatly before she headed back over to the car, acutely aware of the coffin as it got further away from them. As she moved further away, she felt her fear slowly begin to recede, though it still bit at the corner of her mind. She wondered who exactly was in that coffin and why she had such a bad feeling about it. “Sleep does sound nice, but you know what would really put me right to sleep? A Big Mac from McDonald's. You should stop and get a couple. As old as you are and how expensive your standards are, I know you’re rolling around in money and I left my credit card back in Virginia.”

Klaus sped over to the car, causing her to jump. She glared at him as he opened her car door for her. “You’re in Chicago and all you want is McDonald's?” he asked, his nose scrunched in disgust as he held the door. “And I thought you were done asking me for things. That didn’t even sound like a request, it was more of a demand.”

“What can I say? I’m a simple gal. And if you stop and get me a Big Mac, I’ll forget that you took my alcoholic ass to a bar on my birthday,” Andy said in a Southern drawl as she climbed into the car.

After they had stopped for her meal, Klaus took them to a hotel they were staying at. She was excited that she was going to put some space between her and the men until she found out that her room was connected to Klaus’ through a door. Their rooms were more or less a huge apartment, something she was certain he had done on purpose. She ignored that for now and decided to bring it up later, first wanting to take a look around.

The room itself was magnificent and it looked more like a penthouse. There was a living room that overlooked the city and a fully stocked kitchen, though there was no sign of alcohol anywhere. The bedroom had a king-sized bed that looked comfortable as a cloud. She had to restrain herself from falling straight into it, knowing if she did she would never wake up and she hadn’t eaten her food yet. After walking around for a bit, she found herself staring out at the city through the windowed walls, admiring all the lights.

“You look happy.” She jumped at the voice and turned to see Klaus was watching her. He had his art supplies in hand and was smiling at her. She remembered that not too long along she hated seeing that smile of his, finding it fake and mocking. Now, she was a bit relieved to see his spirits were already slightly improving.

It was slightly unsettling to her how they had somehow formed some sort of friendship. She still had a lot of issues with him, but he had protected her from his hybrids the other night. When that one hybrid had tried to rip her throat out, she somehow knew that Klaus wouldn’t let her die. She trusted him, and maybe still did, though she knew that the trust was fragile and she wasn’t entirely certain she trusted him with the lives of others even if he had spared that human Derek. She knew she wouldn’t ever admit to him any of this, knowing she already felt the beginnings of guilt for even considering this man a “friend.” After everything he had done to her and others, he didn’t deserve her friendship, though now she had promised that she would at least attempt to be his friend.

“Did you even knock?” She asked him in slight annoyance. “I mean, there’s a door for a reason unless I’m mistaken. And for future reference, if you ever walk in on me while I’m changing, I will personally arrange to have your body chained and thrown to the bottom of the ocean.”

“I paid for the room. Besides, I made certain you weren’t doing anything scandalous before I entered. As for the chains, I didn’t realize that was something you were into,” He smirked before gesturing to the couch. “Do you mind if I sit here for a bit? You’ve got the best view. You may consider it yet another late birthday present, but I would nonetheless like to enjoy it a little after the dent we have made in my account. I’m afraid your Big Mac may very well be the last so enjoy it while it lasts.”

She rolled her eyes at him, doubting that he would have any trouble acquiring any funds he needed. “You seem to be giving me a lot of late birthday presents, but enjoy the room all you like so long as you stay away from the bedroom. Did you give me the room with the best view because you wanted an excuse to see me?”

“Love, I don’t _need_ an excuse to see you. Last I checked, you still owe me, if anything for the McDonalds,” He reminded her as he sat down. She turned her back to him to look back at the city, restraining herself from touching the glass. After a beat, he spoke up again. “I’m glad to see you like it, at least what you’ve seen so far. It isn’t as wonderful as it used to be, but time has been kinder to this city than most.”

“What do you mean? It’s beautiful,” Andy said as she looked over her shoulder at him.

He raised his eyebrows incredulously. “How many cities have you _actually_ seen again?”

“What, so you can shove your superiority in my face again? Fuck off, you ass,” Andy waved him off as she walked over to the kitchen and sat down at the island, grabbing her food out of the bag and quickly opening the wrapper. He was always reminding her how superior he was and how superior vampires were. She knew he held no regard for humans, the last months had made that clear if his time in Mystic Falls hadn’t. Still, he didn’t need to act so superior toward her when he had proven it countless times. At least she could be morally superior to him, even if it wasn’t by much.

Klaus sighed, and she heard him stand up as she bit into her sandwich. Within a moment he was by her side and she involuntarily flinched by his sudden proximity. She looked up at him and continued chewing, her mouth slightly open and sauce on her lips. If she acted disgusting enough, maybe he would take his sketches and leave her be.

“I didn’t mean it like that, love, and you know it,” he said, pulling out the chair next to her and taking a seat. She finished chewing, watching him as he stole a couple of fries from her.

“Do I?” she asked as she finished the bite. “Because I think I don’t really know you. I know you have a nasty temper, hate humans, hate looking weak, and that you don’t want to be alone forever,” He rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to interrupt, but she put a hand on his shoulder to quiet him. “Klaus, you’re not friendly toward anybody, not until they prove themselves to you. Besides from Stefan and I, I’ve not seen you hold a conversation that wasn’t you barking off orders. Oh, and I know you like art.”

“I didn’t realize I was that interesting to you,” Klaus said, raising his eyebrows at her as he glanced at her hand on his shoulder. She dropped her hand and leaned back in her seat, taking a couple of fries herself. “I believed you didn’t care to get to know me.”

“Klaus, I pledged my life to you. I told you that for the rest of my life I’d do whatever you would ask of me, and I gave you my word I’d try to play nice with you from now on,” She reminded him, drumming her fingers on the counter and avoiding his gaze. “Whether I like it or not, I’m in your debt. Until that is repaid, you’re stuck with me.”

“I suppose you are stuck with me as well, though I imagine that is much less enticing for you,” He commented with a small smile, taking another fry.

“If you don’t stop stealing my food, you’re gonna be stuck with a stake through your heart,” Andy said, causing him to laugh as he popped another in his mouth.

“I am the original hybrid, love. Stakes don’t work, and daggers don’t either,” As soon as he said it, he looked slightly uncomfortable. Andy rolled her eyes, feeling as if she knew exactly where his thoughts had gone.

“Let me add paranoid to the list of things I know about you,” she stated as she leaned her chin on her fist.

Klaus looked at her warily. “You don’t get to be as old as I am without some paranoia, love. After all, this could all just be you charming me. For all I know you and Stefan are waiting for the first opportunity to kill me and return to your lives.”

She had known Klaus had overheard Stefan and her speaking earlier but wondered why he thought they would be so stupid after all that they had seen him do himself. She had no intention to get revenge on Klaus anytime soon, not while there were people alive that would get caught in the crossfire. Elijah had tried getting revenge for his family. Was that what had caused all of Klaus’s family to end up in coffins? His paranoia, or his temper? For the little she knew about Klaus, she felt like she was beginning to understand him some, though wondered what could have possibly caused so much paranoia.

“You really think after everything that’s my play? Just because I look like someone you used to care about?” She asked him, searching his eyes for the answer.

“It has crossed my mind before, but I haven’t decided if you would be capable of such a ruse,” he admitted with a slight shrug of the shoulders.

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, Klaus. Means a lot coming from you,” She turned her attention back to the Big Mac and took a couple bites of it, her chewing the only sound echoing in the room. She wasn’t sure why exactly it bothered her that Klaus thought she might just be trying to play him so she could betray him later on. Sure, if she had thought about it then it would be a wonderful plan, but the fact that she had genuinely meant everything so far, at least to some extent.

“I can’t trust everyone, love. I wouldn’t be alive today if I freely trusted people,” Klaus said in a small voice, causing her to pause in her eating to watch him. “If you hadn’t trusted Elijah, you wouldn’t be in this situation. You would be enjoying your summer with your family. I would be just a footnote in your life.”

“Would you have really left me alone?” she asked before she could stop herself. He looked at her in slight confusion, and she cleared her throat before clarifying. “If I hadn’t made the deal with you. Would you have left town without taking me? You knew I had information about your family and you know we tried to kill you. Somehow I doubt you would have just been a footnote; after all, you did sacrifice my sister.”

Klaus hesitated a moment before he spoke, holding her gaze. “I would have either compelled you to forget everything you knew about my family, or I would have taken you with me anyway. I would not have risked leaving you in that town with knowledge of me.”

“Why would I be a threat?”

“Love, we both know if you hadn’t made that deal, that if I had killed your aunt, you would have hunted me until the day you die,” He pointed out. “While I generally would not be afraid of anyone, you have a certain determination that would be quite annoying to deal with.”

Andy watched him closely, wondering why exactly he thought she may be a threat to him. Even with that rationale, he was the original hybrid. He said himself stakes and daggers did not work on him, so what was special enough about her that would make her more determined than someone else? Elijah had found another way to kill him. Briefly, Andy paused, her mind going back to the coffin earlier. Klaus had dismissed the coffin quickly, clearly not wanting to discuss his family. She wondered if she could steer the direction of the conversation to it.

“I’m not even going to get into the fact you would kidnap me if you had to, but I don’t think I’m as big of a threat as you think.”

“Love, no one else knew I was in Alaric’s body, but you recognized something was wrong. And you have… insider knowledge of my family, even if it’s limited. You’ve already managed to convince me to do a few things differently, though nothing where I didn’t benefit in some way. You are smart and resourceful, and I am glad you are on my side,” he said, his voice softening ever so slightly. Andy tried not to let it get to her head much, but she had never really ever been considered a good pick since she quit baseball in middle school.

“You seem certain I’m on your side, but why do you think that I might just be planning some huge revenge plot? It’s contradictory,” she pointed out, turning her body to face him completely.

“You could always be working in secret.”

“If you really thought I was planning something, you would just be able to compel me and I would have to tell you the truth. You know I haven’t had access to vervain these last few months and I’ve got none on,” She pushed a few strains of hair out of her face and leaned toward him. He looked slightly uncomfortable at her proximity but she didn’t budge, waiting for him to compel her and wondering what his hesitation was. “You’ve never had any problem with compelling me before, Klaus. Why the hesitation?”

“Stefan could compel you as well. If you two were secret—”

“ _Goddammit_ , Klaus,” Andy threw her hands up in exasperation. “I can’t deal with this paranoid shit right now. Forget I ever bothered,” He scowled at her as she stood. “Don’t trust me, I don’t give a damn anymore.” She started to walk away, but he sped in front of her, causing her to jump back in surprise.

“I do trust you, Andy,” He said, a genuine look on his face. Andy paused, studying his face closely. She had thought there was a fragile trust between them, but perhaps too much had gone on between them to ever really trust one another. “But not with everything.”

“I feel a similar way,” Andy admitted with a sigh. She couldn’t forget the certainty she had that he wouldn’t allow the hybrids to kill her, or how she had never really felt like she was in danger in his presence though she had feared for others’ safety. There was also the matter that she had experienced his emotions twice now, something she still hadn’t told him… it was something that couldn’t be hidden anymore. He needed to know. “Klaus, whether we like it or not, there’s some kind of connection between us. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to feel your emotions when Elijah nearly killed you or when you transformed into a wolf last night.”

“ _What_?” His entire demeanor changed, the air becoming suddenly chilly.

“Don’t be mad, okay? I didn’t tell you because I thought it was just a weird coincidence at first. That night of the sacrifice… I felt _your_ pain. I wasn’t sure it was, but now I’m certain that’s what it was. I felt like I was dying like Elijah had a hand on my chest and not yours. I was scared and in pain and felt betrayed,” As she spoke, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. “I-I don’t know how, but I now know it was what you were feeling because when you turned into a werewolf the other night, I felt that, too. I felt like every bone in my body was breaking and I was having all of these terrible thoughts. I don’t know if my connection is with your family like I originally thought… or if it’s with you.”

Klaus was quiet for a moment, processing the information, looking troubled to be hearing that she had more knowledge. Andy hoped this didn’t backfire on her. “Why didn’t you mention this sooner, Andy?”

“We weren’t exactly friendly before now,” Andy admitted with a shrug. “I just brushed it off and tried to ignore it, but I want you to know that I’m not voluntarily gaining information on you. Sure, I may be willing to get to know you, but I don’t mean to be prying into your personal shit. That’s not who I am. Besides, if you’re ever going to actually trust me, then I should be honest with you like you should be with me.”

Klaus looked back at her with a weary look. She felt a similar way, though was more relieved than anything he didn’t seem as if he was going to compel her to forget what she knew.“I appreciate you telling me,” he spoke after another long moment. “I know someone we will ask about this. She should be able to help us in some way. Perhaps something happened during the sacrifice, and somehow you being there connected us.”

“I had those dreams weeks before we met, Klaus. I don’t know if is it, though I appreciate you not beheading me the moment you heard about this,” Andy said as he turned away from her and approached the windows. He was quietly staring out at the city, folding his hands together behind his back. Andy slowly approached and watched his expression closely. She knew she was treading on dangerous waters, but they were already discussing his family. “Earlier at that warehouse, when that coffin went past me… Klaus, I don’t know who was in that coffin, but there was some kind of energy coming from it, which must mean something considering I’m most definitely not a witch. It made me feel like I was being hunted down. They clearly aren’t a fan of me.”

His expression darkened, and he looked over at her with an unamused look. “Who is in that coffin is none of your concern, love. Have no fears.”

“Is it Mik—”

“Bloody hell, Andy. If this is going to be about my family I may as well remove the dagger from Elijah’s chest. I’d hear less from him about family the way you prattle on,” Klaus commented, her lips pulling into a frown as his spoke. “Hit a sore spot, did I?”

“Elijah’s _not_ a sore spot, ass. Not for me, at least. How many times do I have to say it? In fact, maybe you _should_ remove the dagger from his heart on the condition I get to stab it into his back a few times. Let him know how it feels, though you did that when you daggered him,” She turned and walked over to the loveseat. She sunk into the cushions and curled her legs up underneath her, avoiding his gaze as she looked around at the room.

Klaus turned to watch her with a thoughtful expression. “We never have spoken of my brother a lot. You say you did not know him, but you two seemed to have been close, or at least for him to trust you with information about our family,” He stated as he went to sit on the couch adjacent to her. “I saw you with him when I was in Alaric’s body. You were looking at him when he was daggered in the Salvatore’s basement. I’ve seen that same look in others eyes before. There was something on your end, wasn’t there? Don’t be shy. I won’t judge you.”

Andy didn’t meet his gaze for a long moment. The fact that there had been others wasn’t a surprise, though it irked her more than she expected. She highly doubted that Klaus actually cared to hear about how she felt about Elijah as if it was any of his business to begin with. She finally turned her head to look at him. “Your brother and I barely knew each other. Sure, even I have to admit he was hot, but he needed a haircut and he let my sister die in your stupid sacrifice just because he thought he needed to kill you.”

“And yet when you speak of him, I see a fire in your eyes,” Klaus was studying her closely and she didn’t like it. She shifted uncomfortably under his gaze though did her best to keep her expression neutral. Why did he care so much about what she thought about Elijah? If this was some bullshit to do with Anastasia or Milena, she wanted no part of it. Klaus suddenly inhaled, a realization dawning on him. “When he failed to kill me, you believed it was a personal betrayal, didn’t you? You were counting on him to kill me so you wouldn’t have to fulfill your debt to me, and then your fallen family would also be avenged. You offered yourself to me because you didn’t think you’d have to follow through.”

Andy looked away from him and swallowed heavily as she tightly gripped the armrests. “I didn’t say you were wrong when you said I wouldn’t be in this situation if I hadn’t trusted your brother.”

Things remained quiet for a moment before he spoke up, his expression unreadable as he came to stand near her. “If it is any consolation, my brother has never broken his word before. Elijah is a shining knight of honor, one who would not break his word unless it was for his family. We have always been very important to him,” Klaus said, a note of mocking in his voice when it came to Elijah. “I assure you should the dagger be removed from him, he will not ever forget how he wronged you.”

She looked back at Klaus and noticed his own bitterness in speaking about him. “Do you love him?” she asked him.

“He’s my brother, Andy. We might not have agreed on everything, but I never believed him capable of killing me. Even with your worst argument with your brother, could you kill him?” She swallowed as she considered that. She had never thought about what she would do if she had been in Elijah’s shoes and if Jeremy had kept Jenna and Elena hidden. Then again, her family dynamic was certainly not as dysfunctional as Elijah’s. Jeremy wouldn’t ever hurt his family to begin with.

In the end, Andy simply answered with a conceding nod, deciding to stay neutral as she was beginning to sense this was a topic he was growing tired of. Her gaze landed on his sketchbook which laid on the couch across from her chair. “Can I see some of your sketches?” she asked softly, hoping the change in the topic of conversation could improve the tense room, especially because she wanted to stop thinking about Elijah and her own family. The tone of their conversation had changed multiple times in the last few minutes that Andy was craving some lighter topics.

“Uh, sure,” Klaus hesitantly grabbed the book and handed it over to her. She smiled appreciatively before beginning to flip through it. Her jaw slacked at some of the drawings. They were breathtaking and so realistic. Certainly, compared to Andy’s own talent he seemed like a professional. A thousand years offered a lot of practice time, and he clearly had used that time wisely.

“These are amazing, Klaus,” She said honestly as she paused to look up at him. “I would almost believe you didn’t do them if I hadn’t seen you sketching myself. Do you have any famous sketches or have you mostly kept all this to yourself?”

“Yeah, um... actually one of my landscapes is hanging at the Hermitage, not that anyone would notice. I haven’t been back in a couple years, though I would like to go again sometime soon,” He admitted with a wistful sigh.

“I've never really been anywhere outside of Virginia, save for these last months. I’ve been more places with you than I did in nearly eighteen years. I can’t even imagine all the wonders you’ve seen. I bet Mystic Falls was boring in comparison,” She stated as she looked back down at his drawings. She could hardly comprehend the fact she had been alive for eighteen years. She had no clue what she would do with her life if she knew she had over a thousand years left to live.

“Once we figure out the mess with my hybrids, I’ll take you. Wherever you want. Rome. Paris. Tokyo?” He suggested as a smile curled on his pink lips.

“Wow,” Andy sighed and shook her head as she closed his sketchbook and handed it back over to him. “It must be nice to compel everyone to do whatever you want, huh? You just snap your fingers and you get whatever you want,” He looked up at her with a slightly frustrated look as he took the sketchbook back. She hadn’t even said it in a bitter tone, but she wasn’t wrong. “You know I’m not wrong. You _are_ a spoiled ass. Why else would you throw a fit when shit doesn’t go your way? Besides, it takes one to know one. I’ve never had to worry about anything, not financially at least. That shit goes to the head quickly and you’ve had a thousand years of getting what you want with a few little words.”

He stared at her a moment before a laugh escaped him. He shook his head, the frustration gone from his face. “I have never allowed anyone in a thousand years to speak to me this way, not without consequence. I have killed others for much less, love. Be glad I am able to tolerate you.”

“Clearly you haven’t been around the right people, or at least _true_ friends. Friends should be honest and tell you when you’re being a prick, or in your case when you have the misfortune of being a prick 24/7,” Andy said, eliciting another smile from him. “Speaking of friends… there is something I have wanted to ask you and since we’re both sober and having some sort of moment, I believe it’s the best time… What exactly are your plans for Stefan? There’s something you aren’t telling us.”

Klaus sighed and averted his gaze. “I do not think this is a conversation you are prepared for, nor one he is. Besides, it’s rude to talk about someone behind their back, though I imagine he is listening in right now. He has been monitoring us even more closely since I allowed you to drink. He doesn’t trust me when it comes to you.”

“Would you trust someone exactly like you when it comes to me?” Andy replied as she leaned back in the chair. “And he’s just protective, which I appreciate considering I have nobody outside the two of you. I do care for Stefan, and I’m hoping that maybe a part of you does in that deep, dark abyss you call a heart. I know you don’t want him to care anymore and I know he’s doing his best not to care, and it’s not any of my business what he does. I just want to make sure he’s okay. I have a lot of problems with Damon, but Stefan had never done anything to me to make me second guess him. If I’m being honest, I hate what you did—and are doing—to him. I hate that any of this is going down the way it has and I hate that Stefan believes he has to handle everything on his own.”

Klaus’ expression remained blank as she spoke, which frustrated her, but she knew she wouldn’t be able to get through to him in one night. Still, she believed that Klaus held some regard for Stefan or else he would have killed him already. “Everything will become clear soon, love,” He answered as he picked up his things. “It is getting late. This has been an enlightening conversation, but I believe we need to both get our rest. We have a lot of things to do tomorrow, or I suppose later today.”

“Can I ask you something else?” She stood and stepped in his way as he went to leave. He raised his eyebrows at her as she stood in front of him with a nervous look. She was probably pushing her luck once again with him, but a part of her felt as if some strides had been made and that she should try to accomplish more. “I wanted to know more about Anastasia.” He opened his mouth to protest but she was quick to speak. “I don’t mean right now. I don’t know if you’re mentally prepped for _that_. However, I do look like her. Those dreams I had for weeks? I was her in them. I deserve to know something, _anything_ , that you are willing to tell me. Elijah promised to tell me some stuff after… but, well, he never got the chance. I just want to know anything you’re willing to tell me. I’m not asking for how you felt about her, okay? Just what happened to her.”

Klaus closed his eyes for a moment before he exhaled. Opening his eyes, he nodded. “One day, perhaps. That’s all I can promise.”

“That’s all I ask,” She gave him a half-smile as he started to walk around her. She turned to watch him leave, a contemplative look on her face.

He paused at the bathroom door to look back at her. “Anastasia was Elijah’s wife. They were happy together, I believe,” He paused, allowing her to process the information. She had known this much, remembering when Klaus had dropped this information to her previously. “She died shortly after we were turned, but she did die on her own terms as a human… I’m afraid the rest of the story would take up much more time than we have right now.”

“You loved her, didn’t you?” Andy prompted, recalling how Katherine had told her Klaus would instantly find her when he got to Mystic Falls. She also remembered Katherine telling her how Klaus and her sister Milena had a relationship of some sorts, but otherwise, no one had come out and said that Klaus loved Anastasia, though the dreams seemed to indicate he did.

“Goodnight, Andy,” Klaus said after a moment of hesitation, giving her a silent answer to that.

“Goodnight, Klaus.” Andy murmured as she walked over to the window to look down at the city below her as she thought over Klaus’s words.

Elijah had been married to Anastasia, the original doppelganger. Andy remembered how he reacted when he first saw her standing in that old house. He had been speechless and looked at her as if she was Anastasia in the flesh. Was he so kind to her because she looked like his dead wife? Had that been all he viewed her as? She wasn’t certain why that thought irked her after all, Elijah turned out to be no help anyway. The most he had really helped was when he had told Andy that Klaus wouldn’t harm her unless provoked, something Andy hadn’t entirely certain about until now. She remembered how one of the dreams had been Anastasia telling Elijah that she chose him over Klaus, so at the very least Klaus had been vying for her hand.

When Stefan had told Andy that Klaus liked her, she assumed he was just teasing, but Klaus had warmed considerably since the night in the bar. Did Elijah and Klaus really only care to associate with her because she looked like someone they once knew? Klaus had made it clear that he didn’t like humans anyway, so she felt she was safe from any projected feelings on his part and because they were barely friends as is. Elijah was a lot more complicated, especially because he had been married to someone who looked exactly like her and also because she couldn’t find answers as long as he laid with that dagger with his heart. Even if Andy wanted to see him again, the last mistake she would ever make wouldn’t be removing that dagger from his chest, especially after seeing that one coffin which had made her feel scared.

Andy turned and walked into the bedroom for some sleep, her mind on the chess piece she had once thought might have held some significance. She was wondering if it was an entirely different meaning for Elijah and what exactly it could be. Had he been thinking of Anastasia when he looked at her? It wouldn’t be a long stretch considering she looked exactly like her and Milena both, but Andy wanted nothing to do with that drama. As Andy peeled off her clothes, she felt a pang of jealousy for a woman she would never meet. She didn’t even know why she cared.

* * *

“Looks familiar, doesn't it?” Klaus asked Stefan as they stood outside of Gloria’s Bar. The hybrid looked over at his old friend who was gazing at the establishment with a faraway look. Klaus had brought them here for one reason: for Gloria to tell him why his hybrids weren’t working. The old witch was still kicking after all this time and was one of the most powerful he knew of that he could get to help him easily.

“I can't believe this place is still here,” Stefan admitted as they approached the door. Klaus smiled at him before looking back at the doppelganger, a reluctant look on her face. She was standing on the sidewalk and had her arms crossed over her chest, making no move to follow them inside.

“Don’t worry, love. You won’t be going anywhere near the liquor,” He assured her with a smile. He would have left her behind, not entirely wanting her to be uncomfortable with the alcohol around, but he didn’t want her out of his sights even for a moment. Anything could happen in Chicago and after what she revealed to him last night, any information she had on him could be used against him. Keeping her close, for now, seemed like his best option.

Andy simply rolled her eyes and walked past him into the bar. As they followed her in, Klaus glanced around and admired the old place. It still looked as good as new despite how many years it had been open, though the design was more modern. The only thing that hadn’t changed was the large arrangement of liquors behind the bar. Klaus glanced to see Andy had stopped and was looking at the alcohol with an uneasy look. He began to say something to soothe her, but a familiar voice broke the silence first.

“You _got_ to be kidding me.”

Klaus smiled at the voice and looked at the aged woman—who was most certainly not as physically old as she should be—behind the bar. “So, a hybrid walks into a bar, says to the bartender...”

“Stop,” The woman said with a fond smile as she walked from around the bar to meet them. She had physically aged some years, but not nearly the same amount of years since they last saw one another. “You may be invincible, but that doesn't make you funny,” She paused and looked at Stefan, an uncertain look flashing across her face. “I remember you.”

Stefan nodded, looking surprised as well. “Yeah. You're Gloria. Shouldn’t you be...”

“Old and dead? Now if I die, who’s going to run this place, huh?” Gloria said with a chuckle before her gaze slipped to Andy. Klaus could tell the old witch was already appraising the doppelganger.

“Gloria’s a very powerful witch,” Klaus explained to his companions. Andy was watching the woman with a cautious look before she looked to Klaus. He wondered what had her so spooked.

“I can slow the aging down some. Herbs and spells. But don't worry, it'll catch up to me one day,” Gloria said with a smile, her eyes remaining on Andy. “This little one is young, but that blood says old. Don’t be afraid, child. You have nothing to fear from me any more than you do your man. I hope he didn’t do that to your neck.”

“He’s _not_ my man,” Andy grumbled with a frown as she averted her gaze from his. “And he didn’t.”

“This is Andy Gilbert,” Klaus introduced them as he gestured to the doppelganger. He stepped forward and put a hand on Andy’s shoulder. “This is Gloria, an old friend of mine.”

“I should’ve known you’d have a doppelganger on hand,” Gloria said with a roll of her eyes. “I do hope he treats you decently.”

“It’s been a rocky road,” Andy answered evenly as she folded her arms over her chest and glanced over at Stefan with a worried look. The Salvatore was busy looking at Gloria, likely trying to work out in his mind how old this witch could be after all these years. She didn’t look a day over fifty now. Looking back at Andy, she was watching Gloria with an uneasy expression. Klaus could tell she didn’t like Gloria, but he couldn’t deal with that right now. He needed the witch’s help and any opinion of the doppelganger’s could wait.

“Stefan, why don't you go and fix us up a little something from behind the bar? Andy, you should take a seat. I’m sure we can find you something to eat,” Klaus said to them. Stefan and Andy exchanged a look before they walked away from them. Klaus looked back at Gloria with a smile. “You look ravishing, by the way.”

“ _Don't_. I know why you're here. A hybrid out to make more hybrids? That kind of news travels,” Gloria said and gestured with her head to Andy. “Not to mention you are walking around with a lightning rod of energy over there. I sensed her before she even walked in the door, though it was a lucky guess she was a doppelganger. If you wanted to hide your presence here, perhaps traveling with someone from a line that old wasn’t your best plan.”

“I haven’t exactly been in hiding. So, what am I doing wrong? I broke the curse,” Klaus pointed out in slight annoyance. He didn’t come here to talk about doppelgangers, he wanted to know more about why his hybrids weren’t working.

“Obviously you did something wrong. Look, _every_ spell has a loophole, but a curse that old... We’d have to contact the witch who created it,” Gloria explained as she put her hands on her hips.

Klaus wanted to scream. When would that woman be out of his life for good? She haunted him no matter what he did. “Well, that would be the original witch. She’s _very_ dead,” His mind went to the coffin and how Andy had reacted to it. He wondered if there was a reason why today the coffin seemed to unsettle Andy. The coincidence alone was unsettling to him. He had made sure to give an order to his men to keep an eye on that coffin.

Gloria nodded. “I know. And for me to contact her, I'll need help. Bring me Rebekah.”

Klaus looked at Gloria with frustration written across his face. The witch seemed to be bringing out all the stops on memory lane when he had intended Stefan’s past to be the only stop. As angry as Elijah would be if the dagger was removed from his chest, their little sister had been daggered for much longer and for different reasons. She would not be happy when she woke. “Rebekah... Rebekah is a bit preoccupied,” he said after a moment.

“She has what I need. Bring her to me,” Gloria ordered in a firm tone. “Otherwise, I can’t give you answers even with your doppelganger here to channel.”

“What is this?” Klaus looked over at Stefan’s question to see he was looking at a photo. Andy was sitting at a table near the bar, looking at the Salvatore in confusion, though Klaus had a feeling she had been watching him with Gloria up until the interruption.

“Well, I told you, Stefan. Chicago's a magical place,” he said to the Salvatore with a tight smile as he noticed the disbelief on his face.

“But this is me. With _you_ ,” Stefan said as he walked around the bar to show Klaus the photo. It was of Stefan with his arm around Klaus's shoulders in the 1920s.

Klaus smiled again, the realization that Stefan would soon remember everything brightening his mood only slightly. Hopefully, it would also improve his sister’s. He looked back at Gloria. “I’ll get her. In the meantime, watch Andy. I believe Stefan and I have some catching up to do,” Klaus said, knowing that Andy would likely not wish to see when he and Stefan fed. He figured Andy would be the safest with the witch where she could get herself into no trouble, and he knew that there was nothing she would tell Gloria.

However, immediately Andy stood and looked at him with a panicked look. “What, you’re just going to leave me here?” she asked him.

“I’m hungry as well, love. I figured you wouldn’t want to watch as we grabbed ourselves something to eat,” Klaus said, raising an eyebrow at her. She hesitated and glanced uneasily back at Gloria.

“I won’t bite, child. Come on, I’ll get you something to eat,” Gloria said as she headed back toward the kitchen. Andy looked back at Klaus and Stefan with an uncertain look. Honestly, Klaus was surprised that she didn’t want to stay with Gloria. Surely it was better than following them around. Gloria paused at the kitchen door and looked back with an eyebrow raised. “Well, are you coming, sweetheart?”

“I think I want to go see a little of the city. What little I can,” Andy said as she walked over to Klaus’s side, looking back at Gloria with an uncertain look. “Thank you though. I’m not very hungry after breakfast. Maybe when we return I’ll feel hungrier.”

“Suit yourself,” Gloria shrugged before she looked at Klaus. “Get Rebekah or I can’t do anything to help you.”

The three started to head out of the bar and Klaus turned to look at Andy. She looked pale and almost _scared_ , though she let her hair fall in her face and was avoiding Klaus’ gaze. “Are you alright, love? I’ve known Gloria for nearly a century. She won’t hurt you if that’s what you’re afraid of. She knows better than to cross me.”

“Can we just _go_?” Andy muttered as she sped her pace up. She walked out the door and rushed over to the car. Klaus gestured to Stefan to stay back while he went over to talk with her, genuinely curious what had caused this reaction.

“What is wrong, Andy?” Klaus asked as he approached her. He stopped her from closing the door after she had climbed into the car. She sighed and looked down at her hands. He had never seen her so skittish and a part of him was feeling suspicious toward the witch he had known a century. Andy had gotten a bad feeling with the coffins earlier, and now Gloria wanted to contact his mother. He wondered if his mother was why she was looking freaked out. She had a similar look on her face when she had seen the coffin.

“ _Nothing_ , Klaus. Can we please just go?”

“Do I need to compel you to tell me?”

Andy scowled at him and turned her head to look at him. “Fine… I don’t like her.”

Klaus held back a smile, almost wanting to laugh at the idea that this was because she simply didn’t like Gloria despite just meeting her. “And… why is that?”

“Because she gives off a bad vibe. She looked at me… well, she looked at me the same way you did when we first met like I was a prize or something,” Andy admitted as she turned her head to look at him. His amusement dissipated as he saw her genuine concern as she continued speaking. “I get she’s your friend. I didn’t mean to make it awkward. I’m just not used to people appraising me based on what I am and how useful I could be. Then again, that’s why you brought me along, isn’t it? To be your personal ‘lightning rod of energy.’” She looked down and began smoothing out nonexistent wrinkles in her jeans.

“Andy, look at me,” He said. He repeated her name once more before she met his gaze. “If you are ever uncomfortable with a situation, never hesitate to tell me. If anyone makes you uncomfortable again, just tell me and I will ensure it never happens again, _even_ if that person is an old friend of mine. Are we clear?”

Andy stared at him a moment, her brows furrowed as she searched his eyes. Eventually, she nodded, her shoulders relaxing. “Thank you, Klaus.”

“That’s what friends are for, no?” Klaus gave her an encouraging smile, one she returned much to his surprise. He stared at her a moment longer, admiring her toothy smile before he remembered what they were here for. “Well, uh, let’s get on the road now. Gloria won’t wait all day.”

He closed the car door and turned to walk around the car. He caught Stefan’s gaze once again as it burned right through him. The Salvatore looked at him with a questioning expression and it made Klaus regret even bringing Andy along with him. The old Stefan would never return if he continued to be so soft on Andy.

Klaus hardened his expression and turned to get into the car. He needed to hold Andy to the same standards as Stefan. Otherwise, Klaus had a feeling he might be in trouble.

* * *

“This doesn't make any sense. Why _don't_ I remember you?” Stefan asked as the three of them walked through the warehouse they had been in hours earlier. Andy was looking at the photo Stefan had found of Klaus and him from back in the 1920s, feeling a bit weirded out by the proof that the two men had known each other. It was odd seeing photo evidence that they both had looked the exact same nearly a hundred years ago. It did finally confirm that Klaus had clearly had deeper intentions when he made the deal with Stefan to save Damon’s life.

“You said it yourself: that time had a lot of dark holes,” Klaus pointed out, glancing over at Stefan with a smile.

Stefan shook his head as Andy handed the photo back to him. “No, if you knew me, then why haven't you said anything?”

Klaus sighed and stopped walking to look back at the Salvatore. “I'm a little busy right now. Memory lane will have to wait.”

“What the hell is going on? Answer me,” Stefan demanded as he stepped toward Klaus with a scowl and grabbed him by the arm. Klaus turned back toward him with an annoyed look.

“Let's just say we didn't get off to a brilliant start. To be honest, I hated you,” Klaus admitted. “For some reason, my sister was interested in you and she doesn’t let anything go. I disapproved of her interest in you. Why would I care about a bloody ripper that threatened our exposure? I almost killed you, but Rebekah would have never let me hear the end of it. She always hated when I got rid of things that she wanted for herself. I decided to spare you so that she could have her fun and I could avoid another headache.”

“Your sister… So, I knew _another_ Original vampire,” Stefan stated as Klaus turned and once again started walking toward the coffins. Andy stayed a few feet back, her gaze jumping over all of them. Kol. Rebekah. Elijah. Finn. The other one—the one that had made her nauseous and nervous—sat the furthest away and Klaus didn’t even glance in its direction as he passed. Andy watched the casket as she followed after the hybrid.

“If you can't handle it, then don't ask,” Klaus said to Stefan as he opened a casket. Andy moved closer and let out a small gasp. The woman who lay inside was Rebekah and she looked exactly as she had in Andy’s dreams.

Klaus fondly smiled and gently touched his sister’s face. “Rebekah…” Andy murmured as she studied the desiccated blonde for a moment.

“You recognize her?” The hybrid questioned. “From your dreams?”

Andy nodded in affirmation. Rebekah wore clothes from the 1920s, a white dress and her hair was messy but pulled back. Had Rebekah been daggered for that long? She remembered Elijah once stating his surprise that Klaus would part with a dagger. Had Klaus really daggered his entire family? It would have “destroyed” his family like Elijah had said. If so, why dagger his sister who he seemed fond of?

She looked up at the hybrid in confusion, wondering what his reasons for keeping them daggered for. Elijah had tried to kill him, but what had the others done? Clearly, there was a reason why he was alone despite his family still living, one that she was genuinely curious hearing. She understood why he felt that he had the right to dagger them, after all, he liked to believe he was the alpha male. “Why did you dagger her?” she questioned, though did not expect an answer.

“Now is not the time for that,” Klaus said, turning his head away. “I’m certain she will have no qualms about telling you all about it herself.”

Stefan approached the coffin and looked at the blonde’s face as well. “I don't recognize her.”

“Well, don't tell her that. Rebekah’s temper is worse than mine,” Klaus said as he pulled the dagger out of her chest. Andy felt for a moment as if something had lifted off of her shoulder, but she shook it off and swallowed nervously as she waited for the girl to spring to life. If her temper was worse than his, Andy wasn’t sure she was ready to meet the girl. She had seemed nice in her dreams but even Klaus hadn’t been so cruel in the dreams. There was no telling how time had treated her. “Time to wake up, little sister.” They silently watched for a few moments, but the blonde’s skin was still gray and she made no indication of being alive. “Any day now, Rebekah.” Klaus looked over at his companions with a roll of his eyes. “She's being dramatic.”

“Look, why don’t you just tell me what the hell is going on? I mean, you obviously want me here for a reason, right?” Stefan demanded as he folded the picture up and slid it into his pocket.

“Well, you have many useful talents.”

“ _Do_ I?”

Klaus exhaled and turned to look at Stefan. “In fact, I learned some of my favorite tricks from you,” He leaned against the coffin slightly, a smile curled on his lips. “Let me remind you of someone. Liam Grant.”

Stefan’s eyebrow furrowed as he searched his mind for the name. “Who is that?”

Klaus sighed and shook his head. “You really don’t remember a lot of those days?”

“He told you that already,” Andy pointed out as she glanced up at them before looking back down at Rebekah, wondering if she was going to be thirsty. With any luck, Rebekah wouldn’t attack the first human she saw. “Being a ripper is much like being an alcoholic, I imagine with just more murder. Lord knows I hardly remember most of the months after my parents died. I imagine blood isn’t much different for a ripper.”

Klaus paused for a moment before he spoke up. “We were getting to know one another when Liam Grant came in looking for his precious wife, Lila. You cut her wrist and drained some into a glass and forced him to drink,” Klaus explained with a ghost of a smile. “It was a wonderful trick. Liam had to sit there and down the entire glass.”

Andy’s nose wrinkled in disgust and she turned to walk away from them toward the entrance, deciding she needed some air and also didn’t care to be jumped by Rebekah. As much as she didn’t trust Gloria, being around the witch right now would have been better than sitting and listening to Klaus recount the horrific things Stefan had once done. She had seen Stefan do a lot of stuff, but she had never seen him without his humanity. Even now he held onto some of it.

“I was your number one fan,” Klaus said to Stefan. Andy glanced back to see her companions were following her as she reached the exit and the motionless guard standing by it.

“Why should I believe any of this?” Stefan asked him.

Klaus stopped in front of a guard and compelled him. “When she wakes up, tell her to meet us at Gloria’s Bar. Then volunteer your carotid artery and let her feed until you die.”

The guard nodded, and Andy looked at the hybrid in disgust. Klaus merely shrugged in response to her. “Is it wise to let Rebekah wander around in a city she hasn’t seen since the twenties? A lot has changed since then. She’ll get overwhelmed,” Andy pointed out, acutely aware that she had promised Klaus she wouldn’t ask anything else of him. “Someone should stay.”

“Would you like to stay to greet her instead? I’m sure she would love to see a doppelganger of a line she had thought all died out,” Klaus asked her with an eyebrow raised. Andy sighed and shook her head. “That’s what I thought. Come on.”

“Where are you going?” Stefan called out to Klaus as he opened the door to leave.

Klaus paused and looked back at the Salvatore. “You think I'm lying, Stefan. You and I knew each other. You trusted me with one of your secrets and now I'm going to prove it to you.”

“How?”

“We're going to your old apartment.”

* * *

“Where's Rebekah?” Gloria asked the men as she sat two beers down in front of them at the bar.

“She'll be here. I can't just conjure her on demand,” Klaus said as he took a long swig and sat the bottle back down.

Gloria disappeared in the back and Andy was sitting silently in one of the booths. She had a book in her hand and wasn’t paying them any mind. After they had left Stefan’s old apartment, Klaus and Stefan had found some people to feed on while the doppelganger had waited in the car. When they returned, she hadn’t asked any questions or made any comments. Instead, she remained silent as they returned to Gloria’s to wait for Rebekah, though they had been waiting for quite some time. Night had fallen and the bar itself was nearly empty now, with a few stragglers perched in their positions minding their own business. He had made it clear to the patrons that they were to stay away from Andy and to leave her to her own devices. She had been quiet and he didn’t want her to be disturbed.

Klaus looked over at Stefan to see he was also watching Andy with a pensive expression. He hadn’t even been that much into their kills earlier, seemingly just going through the motions. It wasn’t the first time Stefan had acted like that, but something seemed off now. “What's with you? I thought Chicago was your playground,” Klaus said to him.

Stefan looked back at him and sighed. “So, this is why you asked me to be your wingman? Because you liked the way that I tortured innocent people?”

“Well, that's certainly half of it,” Klaus admitted.

“What's the other half?”

Klaus started pouring alcohol into two shot glasses. “The other half, Stefan, is that you used to _want_ to be my wingman,” He slid one of the shot glasses to Stefan along the counter. “You told me my family wanted me dead not because I was an abomination, but a king. We were friends. I recall your exact words being, ‘You’re a good friend. I’m glad I met you.’” Klaus raised his shot of tequila. “To friendship.”

Stefan clinked his shot glass before they both downed it. Stefan sat his glass down and leaned forward. “So, I'm confused. If we were such great friends, then why do I only know you as the hybrid dick who sacrificed my girlfriend on an altar of fire? Huh?”

Klaus’ smile fell as he recalled the very man who had ruined it all as he had ruined everything in Klaus’ life. “All good things must come to an end,” He finally answered, hoping he hadn’t given anything away. Andy already knew too much about the man, but he trusted her more than Stefan with the information. “This bar was attacked with wooden bullets. They knew we were vampires somehow. To cover our tracks, I told you to forget Rebekah and I until I told you otherwise.”

“You _compelled_ me to forget?” Stefan asked, his brows furrowing.

“It was time for Rebekah and I to move on. Better to have a clean slate,” Klaus said before he downed the rest of his beer in one gulp. He would need to be much drunker if he was going to face Rebekah tonight. He knew his sister would have some choice words for him, but at least _she_ had been daggered. He had been alive, yet alone, wandering the world all by himself ever since he had daggered her. Elijah hadn’t come back around. He had been alone for so long. Now, with Stefan and Andy, it was the first time he didn’t feel like he was truly alone.

“But why? You shouldn't have to cover your tracks... unless you're running from someone,” Stefan realized, looking at Klaus with a raised eyebrow.

Klaus scowled as Gloria passed and grabbed his glass to fill it back up. The last thing he needed was for someone else to know about Mikael. It was already a risk that Andy knew about him, though she seemed to not know he was a vampire as well. However, he had a feeling she had some suspicions about the coffin that had spooked her earlier. “Storytime's over,” He said in a firm voice to put an end to the conversation.

The two sat in silence for a moment before Stefan stood up. “I need another drink. A real one.”

Klaus stared ahead as he waited for Gloria to return with his drink as Stefan strode out of the bar. When Gloria came back, she had two drinks with her. “Better drink these slower. You’ve drunk most of my supply tonight,” He let out a small chuckle and began to sip on one of the glasses. Gloria, however, didn’t walk away and hovered by the table. “I was going to tell you this but thought it might be better when Stefan wasn’t around, what with the way he watches that doppelganger of yours.”

Klaus narrowed his eyes as he looked up at her. He remembered how on edge Gloria had made Andy earlier. What would Gloria need from him that would have to do with Andy? “What is this about?”

“I’m going to need some of her blood, Klaus. She won’t let me near her for a second. I went over there to offer a drink and she practically crawled away from me to the bathroom. She’s either skittish or doesn’t trust me. Considering she runs with you, I think nervous is the last thing that girl is,” Gloria explained with a sigh. “When I contact the original witch, her blood would make it a thousand times easier. It would make the connection stronger. Her blood might be as old as the original witch’s.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Because she was glued to your side earlier and you’re the only one that can get her to willingly hand her blood over. Clearly, she’s with _you_ for a reason,” Gloria pointed out, crossing her arms over her chest. “I don’t need it until Rebekah gets here. Still, it might be good to go ahead and make sure she’s not going to give any problems later or that Stefan doesn’t make a fuss. Oh, and someone dropped this off earlier. I was told to give it to you. Maybe this can be a consolation prize for your woman.”

Gloria sat a velvet box with a white ribbon wrapped around it before she walked away without another word. He exhaled and picked up the box, forgetting that he had instructed his men to look for it the other day. He had completely forgotten about it until now.

Klaus pursed his lips and turned to look at Andy, surprised to see she was watching him. Once she noticed she had been caught, she quickly turned her attention back to her book. Klaus stood and downed half of the glass, leaving it at the bar and grabbing a mint to get rid of the smell on his breath before he made his way over to Andy, trying to ignore the numbness that had overtaken him. If he didn’t slow down, he would be blackout drunk by the time Rebekah got here.

Andy didn’t look up at him as he approached. He gestured to the booth. “Mind if I…?”

She looked up at him finally through hooded eyelids and a weary smile. He was almost surprised she hadn’t fallen asleep already. “Go ahead.” He slid into the booth and ran his fingers over the box, wondering if he should even give her the present. He looked down at it and nearly chickened out, but she had noticed his hesitation.

“Please tell me you don’t have a glass of goat’s blood for me to drink.” He looked up at her and for a moment thought she was angry, but he saw a note of playfulness in her gaze that slightly relaxed him. He chuckled and shook his head, wondering what had him on edge. Perhaps it was the inevitability of Rebekah’s anger that had him freaking out.

“No, I’m afraid Gloria doesn’t have any goat blood tonight. It’s a Tuesday night special,” Klaus replied.

“Damn. Missed it by one day,” She smiled small at him as she closed the book.

He saw it was _Dante’s Inferno_ , recalling that being on her list of books she had requested from him. “Some… _light_ reading, I see.”

She snorted, throwing him a quick smile. “Yeah, just trying to figure out which circle of hell I should aim for,” She said dryly as she sat back in the seat with a yawn. She stretched her arms out as her face contorted funnily. He averted his eyes for a moment, a bit taken aback that her expression had reminded him of Anastasia. He knew she wasn’t his old friend, but a part of him had found it easy to slip back into an easy conversation such as this, though the sense of familiarity was different than it had been with Ana.

“Which one I am destined for wouldn’t be so hard to figure out.”

“Not unless you redeem yourself…” She looked at him with a grin. “Which, knowing you, will take a lot more than a saving a kitty from a tree.”

He laughed, throwing his head back. “Ah, yes, well, the firefighters don’t seem particularly interested in saving kittens nowadays, so somebody has to. I figure saving enough of them may yet balance out the thousand years worth of murder and torture I’ve racked up.”

“You’re already drunk,” She noted, her smile growing as she rested her elbow on the table and leaned her chin on her fist. “I thought a thousand years might build up a tolerance, or that wolf blood.”

“No, I am _perfectly_ sober,” He replied as he leaned forward with a wicked grin.

This time she laughed, and he couldn’t help but admire the melodic laughter. She looked more at ease now than he had ever seen her and couldn’t lie that she looked beautiful in this lighting. He wanted to hear her laugh again and show off that toothy smile. Anastasia’s smile had been so reluctant and shy, seldom did she give a toothy grin. Milena hardly smiled as well—he had assumed the journey to England or her life prior had shaped her into the harsh person she was. Andy hadn’t smiled much since he had known her, but he was afraid that was because of him. She didn’t seem as cold-hearted as Milena, not as much as he had thought she was at least.

“I know what being drunk looks like, Klaus. You forget I’m an alcoholic,” She scooted across the booth until she was next to him. He looked at her in surprise, wondering what she was doing. She reached her hand out toward his pocket and he grabbed her wrist, looking at her with a sharp look.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m getting the keys and I figured you weren’t going to willingly hand them over,” She said, pointing with her index finger to his pocket. He almost felt stupid for his reaction. “I’m serious, Klaus. You are _not_ driving anymore tonight. It’s my turn.” Klaus hesitated a moment before he let go of her, took the keys from his pocket, and handed it to her. “That… was easier than expected.”

“I don’t want to make things difficult for you, love,” Klaus said. She gazed at him for a moment, something shifting in her gaze, and he watched her swallow nervously as she studied him. “You know on your birthday… you told me something.”

“Oh, shit. Klaus, I was drunk—” He lifted the velvet box and sat it on the table, sliding it toward her. She immediately stopped speaking to look down at the box. “What is that?” She asked, her voice soft and filled with confusion.

Klaus reached forward and grabbed one of the toothpicks from the dispenser in the middle and began fiddling with it. He shouldn’t have given her the gift. He should have left it be. He had already given her a gift in the form of letting that human survive the other day. Why had he gotten her something else? He loved birthdays and felt bad she had a terrible one this year because of him, but even he could recognize this was going further than he needed it to. He told himself he was going to hold her to the same standards as Stefan but here he was offering her another gift. _Stupid, stupid, stupid, boy._

“Last call. Drink 'em up!” Gloria’s last call had snapped them both out of it and they sat up straight. The rest of the bar had nearly emptied, and the last remaining man was making his way toward the door. Andy went to slide back to her side of the booth, a light pink color on her cheeks, and Klaus watched in slight disappointment until someone else walked up to their table. He turned to the person with a scowl, prepared to compel them to go step into traffic when he saw who it was.

“ _Damon_?” Andy questioned in surprise as the elder Salvatore slid into the booth next to her.

“I see they’ve opened the doors to the riff-raff now,” Klaus commented with a scowl.

“Oh, honey, I've been called worse,” Damon replied with a snort as he put an arm around Andy’s shoulder. Klaus clenched his jaw and watched them with a dark look.

“Damon, you _shouldn’t_ be here,” Andy snapped as she threw his arm off of her. Klaus glanced at her to see she was looking at the Salvatore in worry. Klaus remembered Katherine telling him that Andy had previously liked Damon and didn’t like the look he saw in her eyes now. She didn’t ever talk positively about the man, why was she even concerned? Clenched his fists, Klaus looked back at Damon in annoyance.

“Why? Don’t want me to see you cozying up with him?” Damon shot back at her. Andy’s brows furrowed but before she could respond, Klaus spoke up.

“You don't give up, do you?” Klaus asked him.

“Give me my brother and Andy back and you'll never have to see me again.”

Klaus leaned forward and glared at the man across the table. “Well, I am torn. You see, I promised Stefan I wouldn't let you die, but how many freebies did I really sign up for? And clearly you want to die, otherwise, you wouldn’t be here so...”

“What can I say? I'm a thrill-seeker,” Damon replied with a fake smile. Klaus was tired of his snark. What right did he have to march in here and demand anything? Klaus saved his life and he couldn’t just accept it and move on. No, he kept on coming back for his brother and for Andy.

Klaus sped over to Damon and lifted him out of the booth with one hand. “Klaus!” Andy exclaimed as she shuffled out of the booth and stabbed Damon in the shoulder with the toothpick.

“Oh, dear, what was that? I'm a little boozed up, so you'll forgive me if I miss your heart the first few tries,” Klaus said before he stabbed Damon in the stomach with the toothpick. Damon grunted in pain. “ _Ohh_! No, that's not it. Hmm.”

“Klaus, stop!” Andy said as she grabbed his arm, but he shrugged her off.

“Love, step aside and stay quiet for a moment,” Klaus snapped at her. Because of the compulsion, she had no choice to step to the side and watch it unfold. Klaus turned his attention back to the Salvatore as he stabbed him again. “Ohh. _Almost_.” He angled the toothpick upwards towards his heart. Stefan and Andy would just have to get over Damon’s death, he did warn them that he would kill Damon if he continued bothering them. He shouldn’t have been so stupid in following them here anyway.

“You want a partner in crime? Forget Stefan. I'm so much more fun,” Damon said, a bit of it garbled from the way Klaus was holding his neck. He did wonder why Damon would think he would be a better right-hand man than Stefan. Klaus threw Damon backward and he crashed on top of a table and landed on the ground on his back as the table broke under his weight. Klaus walked over, ripped a part of the chair off as a makeshift stake, and crouched over Damon.

He saw Andy dart away from them. He didn’t care. Better she didn’t see it anyway. He would never hear the end of this anyway. “You won't be any fun after you're dead,” Klaus said, using one hand to hold Damon down. With the other hand, he raised the stake. Just before Klaus could pierce Damon with the stake, the wood went up in flames. Klaus grunted in pain as the flames licked his skin and he was quick to toss it away from him. He looked up in annoyance to see Gloria and Andy behind the bar. “Really?”

“Not in my bar. You take it outside.” Gloria said in a firm voice.

Damon tried to sit up, but Klaus pushed him back down and looked at him. “You don't have to negotiate your brother's freedom. When I’m done with him, he won't want to go back,” He said before he stood to his feet. As he walked over to the bar, Andy rushed passed him. He didn’t stop her as she knelt next to Damon. Klaus grabbed his beer and kept his gaze away from them, not wanting to see any concern for the Salvatore on Andy’s part.

“You need to leave, Damon,” Andy said as she helped him sit up.

“Andy…” Damon grunted as he stood. “Jenna—she’s not going to let you—”

“Andy,” The voice made the doppelganger pause. Klaus turned to see Andy’s aunt standing there, a pained look on her face as she looked at her niece. Klaus stood there, frustrated that they had been located by them so quickly. He knew he couldn’t kill Jenna, not like he could Damon. If he did, Andy would have no qualms about spreading her knowledge about his family.

Turning around to face Andy, Klaus saw that she had gone completely still. Slowly she turned to look at Jenna, a blank look on her face. “Jenna, what a surprise,” she said as she stood up from Damon’s side. Klaus could see her hands were shaking slightly and he clenched his jaw. If Andy was going to ask if she could leave with Jenna, he wasn’t certain what he was going.

“Jenna… you’re _not supposed to be here_ ,” Damon groaned as he sat up. Klaus looked at the newly turned vampire in curiosity, wondering why she wasn’t supposed to be here.

“What do you want for her freedom?” Jenna asked, turning to Klaus and completely ignoring Damon. “I’ll take her place. I’ll do whatever you need me to.”

“Jenna, stop,” Andy said softly, but the blonde wasn’t listening as she walked straight up to Klaus.

“She’s a child, Klaus, and a human. She can’t do you any good. You want another partner in crime? Take me,” Jenna said, a fire in her eyes that reminded Klaus so much of Andy. His gaze slipped to the doppelganger. He was not going to make the trade, but he was genuinely curious how Andy would react to this.

“Jenna, I’m never coming back to Mystic Falls,” Andy said, causing Jenna to turn to look at her. Klaus looked at the doppelganger, seeing the pain in her eyes despite the mask she tried to wear. “You need to let me go. I am with Klaus now. You _need_ to accept that.”

“Jeremy—”

“I don’t _want_ to go back, Jenna,” Andy said as Damon stood to his feet. They all looked at her in confusion and shock. Klaus did as well, surprised to hear those words come from her, even though his slightly sobered up mind was telling him it was just a ploy. “I don’t want to come back, okay? I like it here. You know Mystic Falls was always too small for me. Klaus released me from his compulsion weeks ago. I’m not with him because of any deal anymore, I’m with him because I want to be. Go back home, Jenna. You should have never come here.”

“You’re lying. I’ve known you since the day you were born, Andy. You can’t lie to me, you have never been able to,” Jenna said as she stepped toward her niece, her words desperate and sincere. “You don’t belong here. You belong with your family.”

Andy looked at her before she shook her head. “I’m not lying, Jen. I don’t belong there, not anymore,” She walked around Jenna and came to stand by Klaus’ side, putting a hand on his shoulder as she turned to look at her aunt and Damon.

Klaus had to keep his own expression under control, surprised at how far Andy was willing to go to get them to let her go. He was acutely aware of her warmth next to him as she stared the two vampires down. “If you don’t stop pursuing us, Klaus will kill you both. Do you understand that? So maybe you two need to get back to Mystic Falls before you are stupid enough to try something else.”

“Yeah,” Damon murmured before glancing over at Klaus. Klaus looked solely at Andy, feeling a mixture of emotions as Andy slid her hand down his arm and let it fall. He closely watched her face, wondering if she truly meant what she was saying, though he was also uncertain how much his inebriated state was affecting his perception of her in this moment. Damon walked over to Jenna and grabbed her arm. “Come on, Jen.”

Jenna’s green eyes were glued to Andy and they were staring one another down. Jenna stepped forward and Klaus tensed slightly, hoping that she wouldn’t try anything. She reached into her pocket and held out an envelope to Andy. Klaus looked away from the brunette and focused on the letter, immediately recognizing the writing. He felt annoyance burst in him, wondering why exactly Jenna was giving her a letter that was from his brother. He wondered what the contents were.

“I suggest you both take Andy’s advice,” he said to them, wanting the two vampires out of his sight already. Andy hesitated a moment before she took the envelope. Suddenly Jenna pulled her into a tight hug that made Andy gasp in surprise.

“I will _always_ love you, Andy. You will always have a home in Mystic Falls no matter what happens,” Jenna whispered to her as she pulled back and grabbed Andy by the hand and put her other hand on Andy’s cheek. After a moment Jenna stepped back then sped away.

Damon stood there a moment longer, his gaze lingering on Andy. “Take care of yourself and my brother, Andy.” With that, Damon sped out of the bar as well. Klaus looked over at Andy, but she was gazing at whatever Jenna had given her. Klaus approached her, her words echoing in his mind. _I like it here… I’m with Klaus now…_

“Are you okay, love?” Klaus asked, trying not to seem like he was trying to see what she had in her hands. He had thought he had seen her vulnerable before, but there was a certain look in her eyes in that moment that showed her inner thoughts to him. He found himself feeling guilty as he looked at her.

“I’m fine,” Andy said, turning her back to him immediately and shoving whatever Jenna had given her into her pocket. She kept the envelope wrapped tightly in her hand though. She was upset, he could tell. He sighed as she walked back over to the booth. He saw her pick up the gift and he didn’t hesitate to speed over to take it from her. She turned toward him in shock. “What the hell, Klaus?”

“Don’t worry about that, it’s nothing,” He said as he started to walk away from her. She had enough tonight and now he wasn’t certain what to think about it all.

“Klaus…” Andy grabbed his arm to turn her toward him. “What is that?”

Klaus looked away for a moment. At this point, he had to give it to her or she wouldn’t let him hear the end of it. With a sigh, he handed over the small box. “Happy birthday, love.”

“Klaus…” She repeated as she looked up at him with a wary look. She clearly had some reservations about what this could be, especially because he based it off of what she had once told him when she was drunk.

“I have no use for it,” Klaus explained in a sheepish manner. He could barely bring himself to look up at her. The box held a gold chain that held a locket on it. The locket was gold and shaped like a heart, with little rubies and pearls embedded in the surface, with carvings that made them appear to be little roses. Even if it sounded odd to him now, he couldn’t stop himself when he asked a couple of his men to go search for the necklace until they found it. He was pleasantly surprised they had found it so quickly.

_“It was at our eleventh birthday party… My mom gave me this beautiful necklace that belonged to my grandmother—the one I’m named after actually,” Andy explained as she nursed a cup of whiskey. “Anyway, I jumped in without thinking. The necklace slipped off and I didn’t realize for a good thirty minutes. That necklace meant a lot to my grandma, and it was the only thing that they had left of her... It was the first thing that their dad had given their mom, it was how they met. And I_ lost _it. Jenna was angry and started yelling, and I was a blubbering mess, but my mom took me aside and she said, ‘Andy, I love you. I’m not mad and I want you to know that.’ She comforted me in that moment. I promised her that I’d find it. I searched for that locket every summer for days on end, but I never could find it.”_

_“But she wasn’t upset,” Klaus pointed out. “After so long—”_

_“I saw her crying later that day. She didn’t want me to see how upset she was because she knew how guilty I already felt. I had always dreamed of the day I’d emerge from that lake, locket in hand and walk up to her. I… I’ll never get that chance now.”_

_“I could see if I could find it,” he offered softly._

_“I appreciate the thought, but drunk asses like us won’t even remember this conversation in the morning. We’ll go back to hating each other and you can go back to your regular schedule of making my life a living hell.”_

He had those words said to him before and they had struck a different cord with him this time. Now, looking at Andy’s expression, he believed he made the right choice. “How did you—” she began to ask, looking up at him with bleary eyes.

“Don’t worry about it, love,” Klaus put a hand on her shoulder as she looked down at the locket. She opened it and tears began to run down her face. Quickly, she wiped them away and blinked furiously. He had been tempted to wipe the water away from her eyes but didn’t want to overstep a boundary.

Suddenly her arms were around him and he stood there in surprise. “Thank you, Klaus,” She whispered before pulling out of the hug and closing, holding it to her chest. “I’m beginning to wonder if I should have you tell me what else we spoke about that night.”

“I must have some secrets from you, love,” He said coolly as he continued watching her, wondering what was going through her mind. Her eyes were still misty but somehow she seemed stronger than she had moments before.

Stefan walked back into the bar and looked around in confusion at the mess. “Don’t ask,” Andy said to him after a second, quickly composing herself.

“Shouldn’t Rebekah be here already?” Gloria called out, alerting them that she was still standing in the room with them. “If you’re not gonna clean this mess up, you all might as well do something useful and go see where she’s at.”

“She either got lost or is being dramatic. I’m inclined to believe it’s the latter,” Klaus sighed and shook his head. He looked at Andy with a wistful expression. “Let’s go get my little sister.”

* * *

“You should wait out here,” Klaus said to Andy as she climbed out of the driver’s seat. She raised an eyebrow at him, silently questioning the choice. “This is between Rebekah and I. When I call Stefan in, just let him come in. She doesn’t know there are doppelgangers left. I am not certain you will be safe from her ire immediately. She will most likely believe you to be Milena, and she never liked her all too well.”

Andy nodded and leaned against the car, putting her hand in her pocket as she fiddled with whatever Jenna had given her. Ignoring it for now, Klaus looked over at Stefan. “When I tell you to, come in.” Stefan nodded in affirmation as well. Klaus glanced between the two, almost wishing he didn’t have a reason to face his sister before he walked away. He was sobering up and cursed himself for not drinking more when he had the chance.

Klaus entered the room in the warehouse full of his family's coffins. He walked closer to Rebekah's to see it was empty and the guard was lying dead on the floor nearby. He glanced around, listening closely for her before he called out. “Rebekah... It's your big brother. Come out, come out, wherever you are,”

Suddenly Rebekah appeared in front of him and stabbed the dagger into his chest. He gasped in pain and clutched the dagger. “Go to hell, Nik!” She screamed in his face, her blue eyes burning bright with fury.

Klaus glared at her as he took the dagger out of his chest, held it out beside him, and dropped it. She made a pouty expression and folded her arms over her chest, reminding him of the look Andy had made the other day. “Don't pout. You knew it wouldn't kill me.”

“Yeah, but I was hoping it would hurt more,” She snapped at him.

“I understand that you're upset with me, Rebekah... So, I'm going to let that go. Just this once. Brought you a little peace offering,” Klaus looked at the door. “You can come in.”

Rebekah turned toward the door in confusion. She inhaled sharply when Stefan walked in. Klaus hoped she wouldn’t throw too big of a fit when she realized he didn’t remember her. He would need to handle that before she found out and could accuse him of robbing her happiness away once again. “Stefan...” Rebekah breathed out.

Klaus walked around his sister and put a hand on Stefan’s shoulder as he compelled him. “Now you remember.”

Stefan’s expression contorted multiple times as all his memories came back. After a moment, he focused back on Rebekah, a surprised look on his face as recognition lit his eyes. “Rebekah,” he said, taking a step toward her.

“Stefan,” Klaus called to him. Stefan stopped and turned to face Klaus.

“I remember you… We _were_ friends,” Stefan said, a look of shock still on his face as the memories filled in the empty spaces.

“We _are_ friends,” Klaus corrected before he turned toward his sister. “And now the reason you're here. Gloria tells me you know how to contact the original witch.”

Rebekah’s brows furrowed as she looked at him. She knew that they always referred to their mother as the “original witch” around others who didn’t know about her, and Stefan didn’t need to know any of that mess. “The original witch?” She questioned, seemingly a bit put out that she had only be woken up for that reason.

“What do you have that Gloria needs?” He pressed.

Rebekah touched her neck but realized her necklace is missing. “Where's my necklace? What did you do with it? I never take it off!”

Klaus shrugged. “I don't know. I didn't touch it.”

“We need to find it, Nik. _Now_! I want it back!” Rebekah exclaimed, her temper quickly flaring. Klaus sighed as he recalled the necklace. It had been their mother’s and his sister had always held it so close to her. Like Andy’s necklace, it was really the only thing that they had left of hers.

“Tell me that's not what she needs, Rebekah!” Klaus exclaimed in frustration. Rebekah turned to the coffin and rustled through it but didn’t find it, so she threw it on the ground.

“What is going on?” Klaus wanted to scream when Andy opened the door but wasn’t given the chance. Suddenly Rebekah sped over to Andy and pinned her against the wall, a hand wrapped around her throat as she squeezed tightly on her windpipes. Klaus sped over and yanked his sister off her and put himself in between them, hoping Rebekah hadn’t done too much damage.

“Rebekah, control yourself!” He snapped at his sister before turning to see if Andy was okay.

“What the bloody hell is this?!” Rebekah exclaimed as she glared at Andy. “I thought you _killed_ her, Nik! Did you turn her? I know you fancied her, but honestly, after everything she did? And how on Earth did you hide her for so long?”

“Rebekah, this isn’t Milena,” Klaus explained in a low voice. “The Petrova line did not end with Katerina. This girl is a human. I broke the curse, Rebekah. I am a true hybrid now.”

Rebekah looked in shock at Andy before she focused back on her brother. “What else have I missed?”

**_~ * • ° • ° • * ~_ **


	23. Lies We Tell

**_Poison & Wine ~ Chapter XXIII_ **

**_~ * • ° • ° • * ~_ **

“I don’t understand how this is considered stylish,” Rebekah said as she brushed her fingers over Andy’s hair. The doppelganger rolled her eyes and took a step away from the blonde.

“It’s called a haircut. Or did they not have them back in the 1920s?” Andy shot back in annoyance as she folded her arms across her chest. She had only gotten a couple inches of her hair cut off and the stylist had loosely curled it. In Andy’s opinion, her hair looked fine—in fact, better than it usually did—but Rebekah’s standards were on another level despite being daggered for over ninety years.

Evidently the near all-nighter Klaus had pulled to give Rebekah a rundown on everything she missed didn’t do much to improve her agitated mood. Andy didn’t blame her; if she had been daggered for nearly a hundred years, she wouldn’t be happy either. Though, Andy imagined Rebekah’s less than warm attitude toward her had more to do with the fact she was a doppelganger.

Andy had wanted to actually speak to the newest addition to their company, however, Klaus had taken up most of his sister’s time so far. Even after they returned to the hotel, they had retreated into a room and caught up while Andy had been left to pace around, nothing to do. Then again, it had given her time to contemplate the items Jenna had given her, though she had yet to do much with any of them.

“Don’t be so daft,” Rebekah said with a roll of her eyes as she sat down in the hairdresser’s chair and showed the woman a hairstyle she had picked out from the magazines. Andy turned away from the original and surveyed the room. Klaus was sat in the corner with Stefan, and both looked rather bored. Klaus had compelled the salon just for them so Rebekah could take as long as she needed to decide how she wanted her hair styled. They had already been here an hour and she still hadn’t decided.

After her introduction to Rebekah last night—something that was tense and awkward—Klaus and his sister had gone off for a late-night snack while Andy and Stefan had been dropped back off at the hotel, something that Andy was glad for. When she had gotten back into her room away from Stefan, she had reopened the velvet box that Klaus had been so reluctant to give her.

The box held a gold chain that held a golden locket shaped like a heart adorning it. Little rubies and pearls embedded in the surface, with carvings of roses adding the finishing touches. It had been a locket she had not seen in nearly a decade, and yet she recognized it as soon as soon she laid eyes on it. She still remembered how her emotions had run away from her last night. Seeing Jenna had broken her all over again, making her wish that she had never left town in the first place, but then the necklace returning to her had hit her in a way she hadn’t expected, something she believed was because Klaus had been the one to give it to her. She was happy to see it, but the giver of the necklace seemed to be wrong in giving her the gift.

Frankly, Andy had no recollection of telling Klaus about the necklace. She assumed she had told him the night at the bar when she was drunk, but the fact he had taken initiative and had his men locate it made her feel uncertain about the whole thing. Sure, it could be a friendly gesture, but he spoke about how much he didn’t need friends or care for humans in general. However, between saving her from his failed hybrids to hunting down a lost locket, she wasn’t certain what exactly was going on between them now. She trusted him to save her from his hybrids and he had, but her mind was still telling her that she shouldn’t trust him.

A small part of her whispered that to her that she could trust him, but then her mind went to the little vial Jenna had given her. It reminded her that Klaus had compelled her to do what he said, and Jenna had brought her an easy out. Andy had yet to drink any of the vervain. She felt as if Klaus wouldn’t compel her any further since she was obligated to obey his orders anyway, but at the same time if they got closer to finding out that Elena was alive, then he would have no reservations in doing what it took to find his answers. Still, she had ultimately decided to save it in case things got worse. For now, she could play along as Klaus’ friend.

Reaching down, Andy touched the locket that was hanging around her neck. She loved having it back, though after the way Stefan looked at her this morning she had been tempted to keep it in the box forever.

_“Where did that come from?” Stefan asked, gesturing to her neck. They had just eaten breakfast together and were watching television on the screen in her room while they waited for Klaus to join them._

_“Oh, this?” Andy hesitantly touched the locket and looked down at it with a sheepish look. “It-It was a gift.” Stefan raised his eyebrows and she sighed in defeat. The last thing she wanted to do was admit to Stefan that Klaus had gotten a family heirloom. She decided to downplay it, hoping it wouldn’t sound as weird. “Yes, from Klaus. He… wouldn’t take no for an answer. And it was pretty, so…”_

_Stefan was quiet for a moment, looking at the necklace before studying her face. “It’s none of my business… but you sure you know what you’re doing there?”_

_“You were friends with him,” Andy pointed out with a shrug. “It’s just a necklace, Stefan. Really.”_

_“Yeah, well, that’s what I mean. I’ve known him for longer than you have. Besides, I don’t think he wants to get in my pants,” Stefan replied with a note of disdain in his voice. Andy scoffed and shook her head, electing not to answer. Stefan held up his hands in defense before he stood to his feet. “Just be careful around him, Andy. I don’t want you getting into anything deeper than you already are. I’m not saying anything is going on, but it sure looks like it is.”_

_“Careful, Stefan. Someone will start to think you still care.”_

_“Wouldn’t want that, would we?”_

Once Klaus and Rebekah had gotten up that morning, it was decided that they would spend the morning replenishing Rebekah’s wardrobe because the woman claimed she wouldn’t be going anywhere else until she got modern clothes. She didn’t want to borrow any of Andy’s clothes because she claimed they were as if a “lumberjack threw up on a sheltered teenager.” Andy hadn’t even argued that, though it was becoming increasingly harder to ignore Rebekah’s little jabs. She would criticize Andy on the smallest of things; it made Andy wonder when the last time Rebekah spent time with a woman. The blonde’s behavior reminded her of Klaus’ when she first met him. Andy tried to remind herself that Klaus had kept her daggered for over ninety years, something that Rebekah had easily forgiven him for somehow.

“I half-expected you to emerge with pink hair,” Klaus commented as Andy approached him and Stefan, a distant look on her face as she wondered if Rebekah was always going to be this mean toward her and if it had something to do with her being a doppelganger.

“Oh, that’s for next time. Baby steps, y’know?” Andy responded as stopped in front of him. She glanced back at Rebekah who was watching the hairdresser with a close eye, making sure the woman didn’t mess the haircut up too much. “Well, she seems to be adjusting well considering it’s been ninety years since she’s seen the light of day and the fact that her brother was the one who shoved a dagger in her heart.”

“Something I imagine either of you are not going to let me forget,” Klaus said with a roll of his eyes. “You would think I daggered you the way you’ve been throwing it in my face all morning. I don’t know if it will buy my sister’s favor.”

“Well, would you prefer something else? Perhaps, ‘hey Klaus, remember that one time you turned my aunt into a vampire and then sacrificed my sister and mother on an altar, just so you could turn into a wolf two times’?” Andy asked, raising an eyebrow at him. Klaus sighed and leaned back in his seat.

“I told you I would have avoided the sacrifice if I could. Blame the original witch,” Klaus said with a shrug. Andy rolled her eyes and turned to look out the windows, knowing that the “original witch” was his mother. If he didn’t want Stefan knowing his mother had cursed him, so be it. It wasn’t any of her business, though she did wonder how he felt that they were going to have to contact her. He had never spoken pleasantly about her. “Your hair looks nice, Andy. I have to admit, it’s a bit different from seeing it pulled into a ponytail.”

“There’s a compliment in there somewhere,” She replied with a small smile before her hands snaked down into her pocket. She grasped the chess piece in there and found herself angry for bringing it with her. She should have just tossed it away the moment she got the chance. Jenna had no right in bringing it to her. It just reminded her of Elijah and she already had a constant reminder of him by being with Klaus. She didn’t want to think any more about that man.

Then there was the letter, which occupied her mind more than the chess piece did. The letter, which she still hadn’t opened, sat on the nightstand, taunting her and daring her to open it. She desperately wanted to, but she also had no desire to hear what he had to say. In fact, she believed a part of her was scared what he might say. She already had enough on her plate, with the image of Jenna staring down at her with her misty eyes and her voice shaky—

_No, you told yourself you wouldn’t think about her, not anymore_ , Andy chastised herself as she tightly clenched the chess piece in her hand.

“What did Jenna give you last night?” Klaus asked suddenly. She looked over at him and Stefan to see they had noticed her clutching onto something.

“Just, uh…” She shoved the chess piece deep back into her jacket pocket, thankful for the pockets that would hide its shape. She didn’t want to have to explain this inconsequential item. “It’s… personal.” Klaus watched her for a moment before shrugging it off much to her relief. Stefan watched her closely, but she kept her expression neutral.

“Andrea! Come here.”

Andy sighed at Rebekah’s call. She acted as if she was the one Andy served and not Klaus. “Are you going to tell Rebekah I’m compelled to listen to you and not her?” she questioned as she looked over at the hybrid.

“Sometimes it’s easier to do what she says than argue,” Klaus stated with a sympathetic look. “She needs a woman’s touch anyway. You can help her… _adjust_ to life in the twenty-first century better than we could. I’m afraid she didn’t enjoy much of my explanations last night.”

“If she insults me one more time, I’m taking my energy rod chances with Gloria,” Andy replied dryly as she started to walk over to Rebekah. The hairdresser had finished cutting Rebekah’s hair but was now styling it. Andy had to admit that Rebekah was stunning. The original had light blond hair, light blue eyes, full lips, and pale light skin with a small dusting of freckles across her cheeks and nose. She looked younger than Elijah and Klaus, and if Andy had to guess, Rebekah had been turned when she was still in her late teens. The blonde certainly acted as if she were still in high school despite being over a thousand years old. It made Andy wonder how old her brothers were when they turned. Klaus hadn’t exactly told her anything beyond a few basic facts.

“What do you think?” Rebekah asked as Andy approached.

“From what I can tell, it looks good,” Andy said as she leaned against the wall beside the mirror. Rebekah glanced over at her briefly—seemingly sizing her up—before her eyes went to the mirror.

“I haven’t decided whether or not I’ll kill her after this, though I suppose it depends what the finished product looks like,” Rebekah said nonchalantly. Andy’s eyes widened, and she immediately straightened up.

“You can’t just go around killing people, Rebekah,” Andy pointed out in slight disbelief at the serious look on the original’s expression. “She’s done a wonderful job! She’s endlessly complimented you _and_ fixed your hair for you. What is up with you and your brother? You always go straight to murder!”

“Oh, love, do you realize who you are with? My brother and I have killed more people than have even been born in your life. Death is a part of every human’s life, one would think you would be used to it,” The blonde turned to face Andy, her tone condescending. “Nik told me you have no parents and that he killed your sister,” Rebekah elaborated, causing Andy to scowl. How much did Klaus tell her? Even so, why was she rubbing it in her face? Rebekah’s gaze went down to the necklace around her neck. “Oh, what a pretty necklace. Why don’t you give it to me? I think it suits me more.”

“You can suck my ass,” Andy replied without a beat. Rebekah scowled now but Andy spoke before the blonde had a chance. “Klaus daggered Elijah. Did he tell you that? Or do you not even care about your family?” The blonde’s expression darkened but Andy continued. “At least Elijah was actively searching for you all. All you do is kiss Klaus’ ass and sit around playing Barbie and killing innocent people—”

“Mention my family again and I’ll tear your tongue from your mouth and feed it to you,” Rebekah threatened as she jumped out of her chair and came face to face Andy.

“Mention my family again and I’ll make sure that dagger finds a way back into your heart,” Andy snapped at her.

“Did you just threaten me?” Rebekah demanded, closing the distance further. Before Andy could reply or Rebekah could swing a fist, Klaus sped over and stepped in between them.

“Ladies, _calm down_. There’s no reason to squabble,” Klaus said, glancing in between the two of them. “Rebekah, I suggest you never bring Andy’s family again. Andy, I suggest you leave our family out of it as well.”

“She threatens to dagger me and you’re just going to let her?” Rebekah asked, looking at Klaus in disbelief.

“Andy wouldn’t be able to harm you, sister. However, you could easily harm her. As she is my friend and ally, she is off-limits to even you,” Klaus replied as he turned to his sister. Rebekah scoffed and turned to look at herself in the mirror before she sped over to the hairdresser and began feeding on her.

“No!” Andy cried out and moved toward Rebekah, but Klaus grabbed her arm.

“Love, there’s only so much I can do,” he murmured in her ear. “Best leave her to it.”

Andy turned to look at him with a glare. “You can do a hell lot more, but you don’t give enough of a damn to,” Andy spat in his face before she yanked her arm away from him. However, by the time she turned toward Rebekah, the woman’s eyes were glossy. Rebekah threw the lifeless body on the ground. Andy rushed to the woman’s side, feeling a pang of guilt and sadness. It reminded her of all the other times Klaus had killed people, and how she had been forgetting all of them. Now here was someone else to add to the list, and she had done nothing to stop it from happening.

Andy felt the anger swell up in her as Rebekah smiled with satisfaction and ran a hand over her hand. “I think it looks cute. What do you think, doppelganger? Remind me, are you Milena? Or was the name Annie? It’s so hard to tell you lot apart.”

Andy had clenched her fists and scowled at Rebekah as she stood to her feet. “What I think is that you’re an utter bitch and it’s no wonder Stefan forgot you so easily. I’m beginning to wish that dagger had stayed in your cold, dead heart,” She turned on her heel, shoving past Klaus as she headed for the door. Just before she managed to open the door, he sped up and grabbed her arm to stop her with a frustrated look on his face.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

“Away from her,” Andy said as she yanked her arm away from him. “Or are you going to compel me to stay and listen to more of this bullshit? She clearly has something against me and I’m not going to sit by while she just continues this shit to spite me. Besides, you compel everyone else so why should I be any different? Go ahead and compel me, asshole, I’m waiting for it.”

“Andy, calm down,” Klaus said, the exasperation evident in his tone. “This is just a misunderstanding. I think that—”

“Oh, fuck off, Klaus. Go spout your shit to someone who gives a damn,” Andy said before she turned and walked out of the salon, slamming the door behind her. She started walking down the streets of Chicago, doing her best to control her breathing. Why did they have to kill so many people? Why did they have to be so cruel for no reason? Andy had thought she was mean to people when they bothered her, but they were all so willing to take a life without a moment’s hesitation.

She got halfway down the street and turned a corner when she bumped into someone. As she went to mumble an apology, her gaze met the person she had collided with. “E-Elena?”

“Guess again.”

“Katherine,” Andy took a step away, feeling a fear she hadn’t experienced in a while begin to flood her, but Katherine simply rolled her eyes and snorted.

“I’m not here to hurt you, Andy. I didn’t think Klaus would ever let you out of his sight. The way he fawns over you already is revolting,” Katherine replied as she folded her arms over her chest and popped a hip out to the side. “I see you’re not liking Klaus 2.0 as much as you like the original. Rebekah never liked me or my sister either.”

“I don’t like Klaus,” Andy shot back, folding her arms over her chest and looking at the vampire warily. Katherine didn’t ever do anything for herself, and the fact she was here in the same city as Klaus made no sense. She should have been on the other side of the world by now.

Katherine held up her hands and shrugged. “I’m not here to judge you. ‘Like’ him all you want as far as I care. Though you’ll be stuck with him a while if you keep on encouraging him, and then if you even get lucky enough to run, he won’t let you go.”

“I’m not going to run like you,” Andy glanced around nervously, waiting for someone to walk around the corner to find them. Klaus or Stefan were nowhere around, and Katherine wouldn’t be here unless she needed something. Katherine could easily kidnap her and then those in Mystic Falls could be in danger. Klaus knew she had nowhere else to go and if he wanted, he could easily go there to look for her. The very thought of Klaus discovering that Stefan and she had hidden the truth about Elena made her sick to her stomach. She had a feeling Klaus wouldn’t be very forgiving this time around for fucking with him. “Why _are_ you here, Katherine?”

“I need Stefan to meet with me, but he’s been glued to Klaus’ side all morning and his observations skills are clearly not what they used to be,” Katherine explained with a huff, causing Andy to raise her eyebrows. Was she actually here for Stefan? And why did she seem unhappy that Stefan was with Klaus and Rebekah? “He hasn’t paid one ounce of attention to anything except the hell spawns.”

“And you want me to do what? Use an X-Acto knife so he can run back into your psychotic loving arms?”

“I need you to be useful and get a message to him to be on the lookout for me. When there’s an opportunity for us to talk about his other ex-girlfriend away from the psychotic blonds, then I’ll let him know,” Katherine said as she walked around Andy. Andy inhaled sharply, though she knew she shouldn’t be surprised Katherine knew about Elena. Unless she meant that Rebekah was the ex-girlfriend?

“And why should I—” As Andy turned around to ask for a reason, she found Katherine had disappeared entirely. She sighed and pulled her phone out, wondering what exactly Katherine wanted with Stefan. Still, she didn’t want to take the chance and sent the Salvatore a brief text telling where she was on the street and that he needed to keep his eyes out for Katy, figuring he would catch the meaning.

Leaning against a light pole, Andy waited for someone to come get her. She refused to go back in that hair salon where a dead woman laid just because Rebekah felt like killing. While she had appreciated and was surprised that Klaus had defended her against his sister, he also clearly had no concerns if his sister committed murder, then again he didn’t care about human lives anyway. She didn’t know why she expected better of him after everything he had done, but a part of her had hoped he would have stopped his sister from killing that poor woman.

Andy glanced around the street, noticing for the first time someone on the side of the road watching her. She squinted her eyes, noticing it was a woman with short blonde hair. Her features looked familiar and Andy inhaled sharply as she took in the woman’s face. _Could that be—?_ She started to step forward to get a better look, but a car pulled up to the curb, blocking her eyesight from the woman. Andy quickly rushed around it and looked for the woman, but she had disappeared entirely.

“You okay, love?” Andy barely registered as Klaus opened the door of the car and stuck his head out. She didn’t glance at him as she looked around for any sign of the woman but she had completely vanished, making Andy wonder if she was there to begin with or if she had just been a trick of her mind. It wasn’t possible, Andy rationalized. She was the only living doppelganger of Anastasia left alive, there was no way one was walking around.

“Uh, yeah, I’m good,” Andy finally answered, unable to shake the goosebumps that had formed on her arms. She remembered her father telling her once that if you saw your doppelganger, they said it was a sign of your imminent death. Was that what this was?

“Are you going to get in or do we have to wait around all day?” Rebekah chirped from inside the car. Andy swallowed as she surveyed the streets one more time before walking around the car. She opened the door and climbed into the backseat, ignoring the looks thrown her way as Klaus pulled away.

* * *

“There has to be more to this dress,” Rebekah called out from behind the curtain.

Klaus was laid back on one of the chairs as one of the workers poured him a glass of champagne. Stefan sat in the chair next to him drinking on champagne as well while Andy sat silently off to the side pretending to be engrossed in something on her phone. He had been watching her closely since they got to the clothes shop, but she had been solely focused on the phone and paid no attention to him or any of the others. She had seemed spooked in the street earlier but hadn’t said what she saw, making him wonder who could have made her react in such a way.

As the worker finished pouring the glass, Klaus smiled at her and in return, she smiled back at him, a flirtatious look on her face as she lingered for a moment longer. He watched her walk away as he responded to his sister, realizing it had been some time since he had last been with someone. It hadn’t been something that was on his mind with everything going on in the last few months. “There's not,” he replied to his sister.

Rebekah emerged out of the fitting room in a short, black dress. She put her hands on her hips as she looked haughtily at Klaus and Stefan. “So, women in the 21st-century dress like prostitutes, then. You know, I got dirty looks for wearing trousers.”

“You wore trousers so women today could wear nothing,” Klaus rationalized as he sipped more on his drink.

“Who would’ve thought you advocated for anyone’s rights. Here I thought you both were relaxing your way through eternity, looking down on the humans and their petty squabbles,” Andy commented as she glanced up from her phone to look at Klaus with a raised eyebrow. He gave her a weak smile and her gaze moved to the worker who had poured him some champagne moments earlier. A look flickered in her eyes, making Klaus wonder what was going through her mind. Sometimes the doppelganger was difficult to read and he wanted to know what she was thinking now. He knew she probably wasn’t still happy with him for letting Rebekah kill that woman earlier, but Rebekah hadn’t been out of the coffin for a day. She had some steam she needed to let off, and that had been channeled into her treatment of Andy.

“Well, you don’t know much, do you?” Rebekah replied before she looked up at the speakers with an annoyed expression. “And what _is_ this music? It sounds like a cable car accident.”

“It's dance music,” Stefan answered with a small sigh.

“People dance to _this_?”

“Maybe if you weren’t so judgmental you’d enjoy it as well,” Andy pointed out as she leaned forward in her seat. “Though you’d be hard-pressed to enjoy anything except for torturing and murdering the innocent. Must run in the family.”

Klaus finished his glass of champagne and quickly grabbed the bottle that had been left to pour himself another. If Andy and Rebekah kept up their pettiness, he was going to have to keep them separated. Still, they weren’t the reason for his drinking; he wanted to get as drunk as possible today since his sister had lost the only thing he had removed the dagger from her for. He was already going to have to tell Gloria that the necklace was lost, and then figure out how to contact the dead witch some other way if it was even possible. “Are we done here?”

“Why are you so grumpy?” Rebekah asked as she walked closer to the men.

Klaus nearly rolled his eyes at her. “I needed _one_ thing from you for my witch to find out why my hybrids are dying, one thing. _Your_ necklace. And you _lost_ it.”

“I didn't lose it. It's just been missing for ninety years,” Rebekah snapped before she looked over at Andy. “What do you think? Not that you are by any means stylish, but I don’t exactly have many options and I need a woman’s opinion. I don’t trust the workers to give me an honest opinion.”

Klaus immediately looked over at Andy with a pleading look. He had a headache and wanted this shopping spree to be over already, so they could go to Gloria and find another way to fix his hybrid problem. Andy had been easy to shop for; she only wanted jeans, t-shirts, and flannels. His sister was a lot more complicated when it came to her style.

Andy caught Klaus’ gaze and stared at him for a brief moment before she sighed. As she looked back at Rebekah, she appeared to be in pain as she spoke. “You look beautiful in it. It accentuates your curves and it fits like a glove,” It sounded forced, but Klaus knew her words were genuine. Klaus threw Andy an appreciative smile and she rolled her eyes at him, though gave him a look as if to say he owed her. He was happy that she had been willing to play nice, and it seemed she had done so for his sake.

Rebekah looked taken aback for a moment before she huffed. “Well, of course. There’s hardly anything that would look bad on me,” The blonde replied before she focused on Stefan. “So, what do _you_ think about it?”

“I like it,” Stefan said lamely but she didn’t look satisfied with his reply. Stefan shrugged at her expression, seemingly not understanding what he had said wrong. “What? I said I like it.”

“I can always tell when you're lying, Stefan,” Rebekah stated as she turned on her heel and stalked back into the changing room, yanking the curtains closed behind her.

Klaus looked over at the Salvatore in annoyance. He couldn’t just play along like Andy had. “Nice one. Good work.”

“ _You’re_ the one that pulled the dagger out of her,” Stefan shot back as Klaus downed the rest of his champagne.

“I heard that!” Rebekah called out, causing Klaus to roll his eyes again. They couldn’t get a moment’s peace around here.

Stefan stood to his feet. “All right. I'm going to get some fresh air.” He wandered out of the store. Klaus sighed and relaxed back on the sofa, looking over to see Andy was watching the front door. She looked on pensively for a long moment before she noticed he was watching her. Standing, she came over and sat where Stefan had moments before.

“You know, I haven’t decided if day drunk—or any kind of drunk—looks good on you,” she began with. He sat the champagne away from her, hoping that she didn’t smell any of it. He had made certain to bring breath mints and even cologne to help hide the smell so she wouldn’t have to deal with the scent of alcohol. “I mean, last night you were a bit of a mess. I thought you were going to bare your soul to me.”

“I didn’t realize I had any looks that you thought looked good on me,” Klaus replied, raising an eyebrow at her. “I thought you found me particularly repulsive.”

“Oh, I most certainly do. However, Camilla over there has been eyeing you since we walked in. I guess she likes the sloppy drunk look,” Andy said, gesturing to the brunette who was now over by a rack of clothes and trying to act like she wasn’t watching them. Klaus barely glanced at the worker before his gaze bored into Andy’s. “It’s the accent if I had to guess. Something about them just drives people crazy.”

Klaus chuckled as watched the doppelganger from his peripheral, watching her reaction closely to his words. “It doesn’t seem to affect you much.”

“Well, in my position, I don’t get to find you attractive,” She pointed out, a mocking note in her voice. He looked at her in slight confusion and she sighed before elaborating. “You’re like a thousand years old and you’ve been romantically involved with how many people that look exactly like me?”

“It didn’t seem to be a concern to you with Elijah,” He countered, raising his eyebrows. He wasn’t particularly bothered by her assertion she couldn’t find him attractive, though he recognized that she had clearly felt something for Elijah despite her claims otherwise. At his words, she looked defensive, and he had to wonder if she had read the letter Jenna had given to her last night. “I know what my brother’s handwriting looks like.” He added before she could speak.

Andy looked at him, unamused and slightly annoyed. “Not that it’s any of your business but I threw the letter away without even opening it. For the last time, there was nothing between Elijah and me. Can we agree not to bring up that backstabbing asshole ever again?”

Klaus held up his hands in defense. “I didn’t mean to upset you, love. But if my brother makes you so uncomfortable, then consider him off the permanent conversation table.”

Andy nodded, giving him an appreciative nod before she continued speaking. “Back to the reason that you gave me the locket… I’m not Anastasia or Milena or any other version of them out there. I’m a separate entity, okay? The locket was… more than I could have ever asked for, but I really don’t need any more gifts, especially if you are thinking I’m like them or a replacement for them.”

Klaus almost flinched, though he wondered if he had ever done anything to lead her to believe he did. Or had there been something in Elijah’s letter? She had said she didn’t read it, but he didn’t really believe that. She was curious by nature and not reading it would tear her apart. “I don’t believe you to be either of them. You aren’t like them,” he said firmly.

Andy watched him closely for a moment before she exhaled. “All I’m saying is, if the real reason I’m here for is to be your plaything, I’m not interested. Friends… that is something I _can_ work with. With that said, sending people to hunt down a long-lost locket without telling or asking me seems like it’s crossing some line. I’d prefer if we respected some boundaries from now on at least while we get to know each other some more. I’m not comfortable with you going near my hometown, and you know why.”

Klaus studied her for a moment, taking in the dour look on her face. He didn’t like her, not like _that_ ; he wondered what exactly had led her to believe it. He knew she had suspicions about the nature of his relationship with Anastasia and was certain Katerina had spilled the beans that he had been interested in Milena. However, both times it had been so different. Anastasia had been there since the beginning, they had been able to forge a friendship before anything and even then, nothing ever occurred between them because of her marriage to his brother. With Milena, she had been broody and distant, but she had taken to Elijah immediately. Klaus still wasn’t certain if what he had felt for that doppelganger had been genuine, or projections of Anastasia onto her. Elijah and he had never spoken about it, both of them ignoring the second time they had vyed for the affections of the same woman.

There had never been a moment Klaus could pin down where had felt something romantic for Andy. She was attractive in his opinion, but he had never mistaken her for his previous loves. Anastasia had been his first love, and even Milena hadn’t matched up to her. He was beginning to believe that Andy could truly be a friend, and maybe that he could trust her enough to remove the compulsion, but he had no want for their relationship to go any further than friendship. He had been mixed up with too many doppelgangers himself, and the last thing he needed was to get caught up with a human of all things. Their lives were over in the blink of an eye; he didn’t need that kind of drama in his love life, not after what happened the last time he wouldn’t turn a human lover into a vampire.

He realized Andy was still watching him expectantly for an answer. Finally, he chuckled and shook his head. “Oh, love, you thought I was interested in you, in _that_ way? I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but you’re a _human_. In the grand scheme of things, you don’t really matter much even with your doppelganger blood. Your lifespan can be over in a fraction of a second in my lifetime. You have nothing to fear on my part, Andy. I have no interest in you in that way.”

Andy pursed her lips and looked away. He wondered why she was displeased; hadn’t he said what she wanted to hear? “Nice to see you’re still an asshole. For a moment there I got worried and thought you had gone soft on me,” she commented dryly.

“Never,” Klaus replied, his own quiet tone surprising him. Her gaze bored into his, her eyes narrowing slightly as she tried to read him. She studied him for a long moment, an uncertain look now in her eyes. He kept a neutral expression, refusing to back down from her gaze. He wouldn’t let a human cause him to shy away so easily. Just as Andy went to speak again, Rebekah opened the curtain and came strutting out.

“I’ve gotten everything I want,” She tossed the dress into the pile of clothes she had already picked out. “It should do for now, but before we leave Chicago we’ll need to pick up more.” Klaus sighed but didn’t voice any complaints. At least they were finally getting out of the store.

“Where to now?” Andy asked as she stood to her feet, looking down at Klaus with a neutral look, any contemplation on her behalf now gone.

“Onto Gloria’s. We have to see if there’s something that we can do to contact the original witch. Stefan will just have to catch up with us later,” Klaus explained before turned to down the rest of his champagne. He then stood and headed for the counter. As he did, the brunette salesperson rushed over to the counter and shooed the other worker away. He smiled broadly at the woman, ignoring the other worker who was scowling at his coworker. “Hello, love.”

“Hi. Did you find everything you wanted today?” she asked him, her voice sounding silky.

“We did. I’m going to send some people in a while to pick up the clothes. Make sure they are not questioned or stopped and are able to grab our things and leave,” Klaus said as he compelled the woman.

“Of course. Anything else for you today, sir?”

“Klaus, I believe we have an appointment to get to,” Andy chirped in as she and Rebekah stood by the door. Andy glanced at Rebekah with an uneasy look, clearly not too excited to be alone with his sister even for a moment. He turned back to the counter.

“Thank you, love. Perhaps I’ll come back myself,” Klaus winked at the worker before he turned to his companions. Both Rebekah and Andy were watching him with an annoyed look and he simply smirked back at them.

“Has he always been like this?” Andy asked Rebekah, turning her head to look at the blonde.

“Yes, unfortunately. Couldn’t you tell that in your freaky dreams?” Rebekah asked as she turned to look at the doppelganger.

“Don’t even get me _started_ on those,” Andy replied with a sardonic smile as she turned and walked out of the shop. Rebekah immediately followed her, and Klaus was left behind watching the two of them in interest as they walked toward the car together. They hadn’t traded cross words since the barber shop, but Klaus was prepared for one of them to say something that would break the thin truce.

“So, what do you think of Chicago? Nik mentioned you hadn’t really left your tiny town until he got you out of there. Chicago isn’t a bad place to start,” Rebekah said to her as they walked. Klaus started following them. He had hoped the two of them could get along but had believed after their rocky start this morning it would be impossible. Perhaps they could turn that around now.

“I haven’t gotten to see much of it other than in passing. We were in Atlanta for a couple days, but we didn’t exactly hang around long enough. This was the first time we actually stopped and took something in,” Andy admitted as she gestured back to the clothes shop. “Klaus has been too busy with this whole hybrid ordeal. Everywhere we’ve been I have just lived off room service and delivery, and just had the view from my room, but what I’ve seen it’s been okay.”

“Nik, we have to show her the city,” Rebekah said as she turned back to her brother. Klaus stopped beside of them and sighed.

“We have other pressing matters to attend to. If you recall when I was catching you up to speed, I can’t make hybrids,” Klaus said as he tossed the keys to Andy, who immediately caught them with a gleeful look on her face. She climbed into the car and the Originals followed suit. Ever since Andy proved she could drive reasonably well, Klaus had been allowing her to drive. He was surprised that she wanted to, figuring she would see it as something he was forcing her to do, but he figured it gave her some semblance of normalcy.

“Why do you call her the original witch?” Andy asked as she glanced over at Klaus in the passenger seat. He looked away from her and fell silent. He hadn’t forgotten that he had told her it was his own mother who placed the curse on him, but he didn’t want Rebekah to think he had already fallen for the doppelganger’s tricks. Last night she had made it clear that he was not to even consider pursuing Andy romantically, rationalizing that things always went to hell as soon as the Petrova doppelgangers got involved.

_“The last time a pretty thing like her flashed her smile at you and Elijah, you both acted like complete fools,” Rebekah said with an angry tone as she paced around the room. “Bringing her with you was a mistake. You should have left her in that terrible town and forgotten about her.”_

_“She’s useful, Rebekah. Besides, there is clearly some connection between her and our family. She had dreams of us that not even Milena had, or at least as far as we know. Last night she told me she experiences my emotions when I shift…” Rebekah looked back at him with her mouth agape. “It is much safer for her to be with us. This way any of our secrets are safe and not in the hands of Stefan’s older less fun brother.” Klaus said with a shake of his head._

_Rebekah huffed. “You still killed her family, Nik! You said yourself that she only recently has been friendlier. How do know this isn’t some ploy to get back at you?”_

_“Andy isn’t stupid enough to do anything to put her remaining family in danger. She understands that more than Stefan does,” He defended, then paused for a moment. “Elijah trusted her.”_

_“Oh, because Elijah has always been the most rational person when it comes to these damn doppelgangers!” Rebekah walked over and sat down beside of him. Her expression softened considerably as she took his hands in hers. “Elijah has always had a soft spot for them, Nik. He always felt guilty about what happened to Ana. I know you do, too. She meant a lot to all of us, but she has been dead for many years now. This doppelganger is_ not _her. Milena should have been enough proof that you shouldn’t mess with them. Don’t you remember what she did? She tricked you into—”_

_“I remember_ perfectly _well, Rebekah,” Klaus snapped at his sister, not wishing to hear the past said aloud again._

_“Elijah always loved that which was out of his grasp, but you were always smarter. Don’t let this one get to you,” Rebekah said in a small voice._

_Klaus squeezed his sister’s hand back, giving her a reassuring smile. “Do not fret, Rebekah. I am the last person in danger of Andrea Gilbert.”_

“You told me yourself it was your mother who placed the curse on you. And you guys are the Originals, it just makes sense that she’s related to you somehow. Unless you don’t want Stefan to know…” Andy continued as she stared down Klaus, tilting her head sideways. “You don’t trust him… even after you gave him his memories back.”

Klaus looked over at her with a clenched jaw. “I don’t trust anyone, love. It’s easier that way. You should take that to heart.”

“Rather lonely, but I guess a thousand years will make you paranoid,” Andy shrugged as she faced forward and turned on the car. “I’ll admit I’m a bit put out you don’t trust me even a little. To think I thought we were making some progress.”

“I want to learn how to drive a modern car,” Rebekah cut in, diverting Andy’s attention from the line of questioning. Klaus rolled his eyes at his sister’s antics as he directed Andy toward Gloria’s. If Rebekah was truly concerned about having Andy around, then she would need to suffer in silence. “I haven’t driven in ninety years.”

“I could refresh you if you wanted… but I can’t promise how good of a teacher I’ll be. It took my mom and dad _months_ to teach me,” Andy offered. Klaus glanced over at her to see she was smiling small at herself. “I mean, it didn’t help I was absolutely afraid of cars because of an accident I was in with my aunt when I was thirteen—” Andy abruptly stopped taking, her smile now replaced with a frown. “And you guys probably don’t care. Uh, anyway—” She cleared her throat. “—probably best if we wait until we’re out of the city. It’ll be messy otherwise.”

“Yes. Hearing you go on about your family is not how I wish to spend the rest of this day. I’d almost prefer to be in a car crash,” Rebekah commented, causing Klaus to roll his eyes once again.

“Rebekah, be nice to Andy. Her parents—”

“We don’t need to talk about that,” Andy interrupted him, throwing him a warning look. He hesitated before nodding slowly, understanding that it was not a topic she wished to talk about even if Rebekah already knew her parents were dead. He had told Rebekah everything about her, which probably was a mistake considering the jabs she was taking at Andy despite the doppelganger not being mean to her. Rebekah had demanded to know everything about her, though Klaus suspected she mainly wanted to know about Elena, the woman who Stefan had fallen in love.

“So, Elijah tried killing my brother,” Rebekah said, nearly making Klaus yell at her for her continued childish behavior. “I also heard you tried to kill Nik as well.”

“We were _all_ trying to kill your brother. Something tells me we’re not the first ones to try. Probably won’t be the last,” Andy said, her grip tightening on the steering wheel.

Klaus wished he could compel his sister to leave Andy alone. He knew she was just playing it safe in case Andy was trying to play them. However, Klaus knew that it would be impossible for Andy to at this point. He had compelled her loyalty, even if she wanted to act against him she couldn’t… Something which he realized wasn’t the best argument that she genuinely wanted to be friends with him. He wondered if he released Andy from the compulsion if it would change their dynamic at all. It would be an act of trust on his part, something he would hope Andy wouldn’t take lightly. It’s certainly something he wasn’t going to take lightly, though if need be he could always compel her again.

“Here we are,” Klaus announced as they turned the corner and saw Gloria’s. They parked the car before the three of them made their way into the bar.

“Rebekah!” Gloria greeted them as they entered. His sister went over and hugged the witch. As they greeted one another, Klaus turned to Andy and spoke in a low voice.

“I apologize for her behavior. I asked her to behave but—”

“It’s not that big of a deal, Klaus. Besides, I said I’d be _your_ friend, not hers,” Andy pointed out with a shrug. Klaus wondered if she had been kind to Rebekah in the clothes store earlier because of him. She more or less said she had no interest in being Rebekah’s friend. After how his sister had been acting all day, Klaus didn’t blame her. “I didn’t quite expect her to be… well, be like you. I thought she may be more like Elijah.”

“You say that as if it’s a dreadful thing,” he said, raising his eyebrows at her.

Andy snorted, turning to look at him with a wry smile. “I’m not so sure it isn’t. I thought I was gonna go crazy with one of you. I can’t say she’s made the best impression, but neither did you and yet here I am speaking to you.”

“You are,” Klaus noted with a nod. He smiled softly at her and she rolled her eyes at him, causing his grin to grow.

“You don’t have the necklace?” Gloria demanded, drawing their attention away from one another. The witch turned to face them with a frown. “I can try a locator spell, I suppose. It won’t help us find the issue with the hybrids though.”

Klaus sighed, knowing nothing could ever be easy. “We don’t exactly have any other options. It will have to do,” he said, waving her off.

“Give me a few minutes to gather the materials,” Gloria said before she disappeared into the back.

“I can’t believe the bloody necklace is lost,” Klaus muttered as he turned to take a seat at one of the tables. Rebekah quickly followed suit while Andy continued standing by, a worried look on her face as she looked at the exit. “Penny for your thoughts?” he asked after a moment.

“Just… wondering where Stefan got off to is all,” The doppelganger answered, keeping her gaze away from him. He tilted his head, wondering what was wrong. She hadn’t seemed as nervous around Gloria, but she looked like she was on edge.

“He’s a big boy, love. He will be fine,” Klaus assured her, though wondered if Stefan was what she was really worried about.

“Yeah, of course,” She murmured as she began to pace. Klaus watched her absentmindedly, noticing her hand going into her pocket. She removed the hand and was clutching something, but he couldn’t see what it was. Slightly suspicious, he leaned forward and tried to catch a glimpse to no avail.

“If you don’t stop moving around and bloody take a seat I’ll kill you myself,” Rebekah snapped at Andy. The brunette turned to look at the original with a bitter look.

“How about I—”

“Andy, what are you carrying in your hand?” Klaus interrupted, hoping to defuse the tension between the women before it escalated further.

Andy clenched her jaw before looking down and turning her back to them. “Nothing, okay?”

Klaus sped over to her, causing her to jump in surprise. “Love, what’s wrong?” he asked, searching her frazzled expression for some hint.

“Nothing’s wrong. And can you please not do that again? You always do that, and I hate it!” Andy snapped before she held up a black chess piece, a queen. Klaus’s brows furrowed together in confusion at the sight, but she had put it back in her pocket before he could do anything else. “Are you really that paranoid, you ass?”

Klaus sheepishly averted his gaze as Andy crossed the room to go sit across from Rebekah, a frustrated look on her face. Gloria walked back in at that moment and began preparing her spell. They all sat around silently, with Klaus musing over what significance the chess piece possibly had for Andy. He assumed it was what Jenna had given her, along with the letter from Elijah, and wondered if his brother had given it to her. He wouldn’t put it past his brother to cling to a symbol, and Andy had never expressed an interest in chess, though she hadn’t exactly had a lot of opportunities for it.

“I need a bloody drink,” Rebekah said as she stood and walked over to the bar. Gloria looked in between Klaus and Andy, her gaze lingering on the doppelganger. He hadn’t forgotten to ask Andy for her blood, and honestly, a part of him was glad that Rebekah had lost the necklace. He had a feeling that the doppelganger wouldn’t be too happy if she had to give the witch some of her blood, though he imagined Gloria would still want to use the blood.

Klaus sighed and went to sit by Andy, mentally preparing himself for what he was going to ask of her. “I didn’t mean to scare you,” he said after a moment of silence between them.

“The chess piece doesn’t have a hidden compartment of vervain or isn’t made of wood that could kill you,” Andy replied, not meeting his gaze and instead she continued watching the door.

He let out a chuckle and shook his head. “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. You could’ve had anything, love. You’ve been fiddling in your pocket all day and looking nervous,” She finally met his gaze and he saw her jaw clench up. “What is wrong, love?”

Andy looked down at her hands, her fingers fiddling with the chess piece. “You killed my sister and Isobel so you could become a true hybrid and make more. But now you can’t. I guess I’m feeling a bit jaded and feel like they died for no reason. On top of that, your sister hasn’t exactly been the nicest to me today and now Stefan is running off on his own. I’m just ready for this mess to be over.”

“We could get it over sooner…” He said, his eyes going to the marks on her neck from the woods. They were now scabbing over and were visible when she moved her head a certain way. He wished he had just been able to give her his blood to heal her up. “Your blood is old, love. According to Gloria, it could strengthen the connection to the original witch. However, I would not take it from you without asking you first.”

Andy puckered her lips and looked over at Gloria. Klaus watched her closely, trying to see any indication of her thoughts on her face as she seemed particularly guarded today. This was only furthering his belief that she had read the letter Elijah had apparently written before he had been neutralized. He was dying to know exactly what the letter said, evidently it was enough to cause some kind of change in Andy’s mood.

“Will you still take my blood if I say no?” She asked, looking back at him with her mahogany brown eyes. She was watching him close enough that he felt uncomfortable under her gaze. He knew she had to be testing him; she was trying to see how far their friendship went.

Sighing and shaking his head, he made certain not to break her gaze. “I have no intention of breaking what little trust we have, love. If you do not feel comfortable with giving Gloria your blood, I won’t make you. It’s your choice.”

“Why?” she questioned, looking more surprised by his reaction than suspicious. “You could order me to do it. My blood could hold the secret to fixing your hybrids.”

He shrugged as he leaned toward her. “Perhaps it does, but I told you if you were ever uncomfortable with something to let me know. I don’t intend to sacrifice your trust on a request that may or may not improve my chances of creating hybrids.”

“But why? Why would you care about having my trust? You said it yourself, my life doesn’t mean much. I’m just a human,” she pointed out to him.

Klaus sighed, knowing his words would come to bite him in the ass. “Because you’re not as half bad as other humans, well, when you want to be. And because you have knowledge of my family. So maybe what you are doesn’t mean much, but your information does.”

Andy watched him for another moment in silence. He was trying to see if his words had caused offense again, but she made no indication of being upset. “I don’t want to give her my blood, Klaus. I have no connection to your mother. My blood might be powerful, but it’s not going to find Rebekah’s necklace,” Klaus nodded before he stood to go inform Gloria that she would have no doppelganger blood, but Andy stopped him. “Thank you for asking, Klaus. It—it means more than you know. Even if you only want me for my information.”

“You have more uses than that, love. You are a doppelganger,” Klaus gave her a weak smile but she didn’t return it, instead, she just looked down at the table. Just then, the front door opened, and Stefan entered, causing Andy to straighten up. Rebekah also sat up in her seat at the bar. “You left us,” she called to the Salvatore.

“Yeah, sorry. Retail therapy was making my head explode,” Stefan replied, briefly looking at Andy. Klaus caught a look exchanged between the two of them, a flicker of concern in both of their eyes. He glanced at them, wondering what was going on with the two of them today.

“Tell me about it,” Klaus said as he walked over to where Gloria was sitting at a table, her hands floating above a large tome on a table filled with candles

Stefan walked over to stand with Gloria and Klaus, looking at the setup with a furrowed brow. “What's she doing?” he asked.

“She's failing,” Klaus stated dryly, noticing the annoyed look on Gloria’s face. She hadn’t been trying to find the necklace for very long, but for a witch as powerful as she was, she should have immediately found it.

Gloria scoffed, gazing at Klaus with a challenging look in her eyes. “It's hard to find something when you don't have anything to go on.”

“So use me,” Rebekah said as she hopped off the bar stool and came to stand by them. “I only wore it for a thousand years. The doppelganger probably wouldn’t be much help anyway.”

“See? Now this one offers a solution,” Gloria said, giving Klaus a pointed look. As Rebekah sat on the table, Klaus rolled his eyes and looked over at Andy. She had also moved closer but was standing further back than the rest. She was biting on her thumbnail and watching the map with a deep frown. “All right, give me your hand, sweetheart.”

“She's, uh, she's looking for the necklace, huh?” Stefan asked, bringing Klaus’s attention away from Andy. He turned to see Gloria was holding Rebekah’s hand with her eyes closed. Klaus looked up at Stefan, wondering why he seemed nervous as well. Both he and Andy had been acting weirdly. Something was clearly wrong with them, but he didn’t get a chance to ask before Gloria grabbed his attention.

“I can sense something,” the witch said before she began casting a spell. “ _Anta Cotis Syrum, Anta Cotis Syrum..._ ”  She dropped Rebekah's hand and looked at Klaus and Stefan. “I found it.”

Klaus looked at his companions to see their reactions, but they seemed shocked to hear this. “So where is it?” Rebekah asked.

“It doesn't work like that, doll. I get images. There's a girl with her friends...” Klaus’s brow furrowed slightly. He wondered how exactly the necklace had gone missing. He didn’t remember seeing it on Rebekah throughout the last ninety years, but he hadn’t exactly taken notice of the necklace. It could have gone missing at the club before they had to run and anyone could’ve picked it up.

“Yes, a dead girl with dead friends if I don't get my necklace back,” Rebekah snapped as she folded her arms across her chest.

Gloria sighed and shook her head. “Well, I'll have to dive back in to get the details.”

“So _dive_ ,” Klaus ordered in annoyance. He just wanted to find the necklace as soon as possible. When they found the necklace, he would be able to find out what was wrong with his hybrids.

“I need more time,” Gloria said haughtily. Klaus leaned threateningly on the table Gloria was seated at and gave her a warning look. “And _space_. You're harshing my ju-ju.”

“We can wait,” he said in a saccharine tone.

“I'm sure you can. But that's not what I asked,” Gloria shot back, raising her eyebrows at him.

“Hey. Hey, you know, why don't we just come back later,” Klaus turned to look at the Salvatore as he spoke. “I'm hungry anyway. I'll let you pick who we eat.” He started making for the door and looked back at them expectantly. Andy didn’t hesitate to rush after Stefan, not saying a word to anyone as she went to stand by his side. Klaus looked at Rebekah, the two of them having a silent agreement to go with Stefan for the moment.

* * *

“You’ve been more quiet than usual,” Andy didn’t turn to look at Klaus as he approached. She was standing outside of the warehouse where he had stored his family. After they had left Gloria’s, the others had gotten a group of three humans to follow them to the warehouse where they fed. Stefan had immediately left after he finished feeding, evidently to go write the name of his victim down. She had decided to take a breather outside before they had started feeding, not wanting to see any more deaths.

“Yeah, it’s been a long day,” she replied, her gaze on the skyline of Chicago. The sun was setting and while the city lights made it look like nightfall was far off, the orange hue of the sky felt comforting as she worried over where they would find the necklace and where it was going to lead them. They were slowly getting closer to the truth of Elena being alive, and Andy knew that she would have to use that vervain soon.

Klaus stopped beside of her, taking in the sunset himself for a few moments. She looked at him finally and saw he had a somber look on his face. “What is it?” she questioned.

“It… will sound silly, I’m certain,” he said hesitantly as he glanced over at her. “I suppose I’m thinking about how difficult my mother has made all of this for me. She prevented me from becoming what I should’ve been all along, and now she prevents me from creating more like me.”

Andy felt her blood chill at his words. _Prevents_. He used present tense, not past, to speak about her. Could she be one of the bodies in the coffins? Andy knew about Elijah and the other two brothers, but that left one unaccounted for. It was either Mikael or his mother, and by the way he was speaking now, she was inclined to believe that it was his mother.

“Do you really believe she hated you?” Andy asked tentatively.

He sighed, shrugging his shoulders slightly. “I believe she hated what I was, what I was a reminder of. I always was there as a reminder of her sin. Perhaps she did hate me. She certainly didn’t trouble herself to handle Mikael when he would…”

Andy put a hand on his arm, causing him to look over at her in slight surprise. “We’ll figure out your hybrids, Klaus. But may I suggest something?” He raised his eyebrows in interest at her words as she dropped her hand to the side. “Don’t force anyone else to become a hybrid. Don’t look at me like that. Don’t you remember those hybrids attacking me? They were defiant. If you get someone’s consent, then I guarantee you that that loyalty you want so badly will be so much easier to achieve. You won’t have to worry about insubordination. Well, mostly. You are still an ass.”

Klaus let out a laugh but looked at her with a thoughtful expression. “Would you use yourself as an example?”

Andy smiled sheepishly, turning to look at the city. “Well, I wasn’t going to say it… but yeah, I would. I guess you’re lucky I give a damn about human life. Otherwise, we wouldn’t nearly be as friendly as we are now. Then again, maybe that’s a reason I should’ve hightailed it out of here, consequences be damned.”

“Do you think if the sacrifice hadn’t happened, if you and I had met under different circumstances, that we would have been friends?” he questioned, genuine curiosity in his voice.

Andy exhaled and shrugged as she turned to face him. “I don’t know. Probably? I was friends with Damon, but then I didn’t know he was a murderous vampire. If I didn’t know how many you had killed, I’d say we would have maybe had some quality back-and-forth banter, but I don’t think we would have gotten along. We don’t get along too well now. Besides, I’m a human, remember? I probably would have been your dinner, if I wasn’t a doppelganger.”

“That’s a fair assumption,” Klaus conceded with a nod. “I don’t think we would have at first, but I imagine it wouldn’t be much different from now.”

“We’d probably trust each other a lot more.”

Klaus suddenly got a serious look on his face, causing her to shift uncomfortably under his gaze. “I don’t trust anyone, Andy,”

“I know. You’ve mentioned it about a hundred times,” she pointed out with a roll of her eyes.

“But I do want to trust you. There is clearly some sort of connection with us. You had dreams of my family and have experienced… vulnerable moments of mine. You know things I would normally not let anyone know,” Klaus took a step toward her, but she stood her ground. A part of her was afraid of what he was going to do, but she knew he wasn’t about to kill her. “I admit I admired your gall to stand up to me in Mystic Falls. Even now, you aren’t afraid of me.”

“I’m afraid of what you can do,” Andy said, her voice sounding a lot smaller than she had intended. His eyes softened slightly, and a small smile curled at his lips.

“We have had a rocky road, love. I know most of it is a result of my actions. Do you think if I could take back some of those actions, that it could build some trust between us?”

“Klaus, I-I don’t understand,” she admitted, a bit dumbfounded by his sudden shift. “You can’t change what has happened. It takes a lot more than the thought to make up for everything.”

“Andrea Gilbert,” He held her gaze, and she felt her guard slipping away. “You are no longer under my compulsion. You no longer have to do exactly as I say when I say it.”

It took a moment for the gravity of the situation. As soon as he stopped compelling her, Andy felt the impact of his words. He had freed her from his compulsion. He was giving her back some free will, though he had only enforced his compulsion a few times, Andy knew that this gesture was not made lightly. He was putting some more trust in her, and frankly, she didn’t understand why.

“But—” She blinked furiously at him with a flurry of emotions flowing through her. “I don’t understand, Klaus.”

“You no longer are under my compulsion. Of course, you still are stuck with me for a little longer, however… if you wanted to return to Mystic Falls for your senior year, I would not begrudge you that,” Klaus said with a smile. “I expect we will have my hybrid issue solved by then anyway.”

“But… _why_ , Klaus? Why are you freeing me of the compulsion?” Andy pressured, needing some sort of explanation. It didn’t make sense to her; sure, they had gotten along a lot better recently, but like he said, she knew things she shouldn’t. It would be a lot easier for her to just to do what he said, and to keep her close. If this was some sort of test, she didn’t understand what he was trying to find out from her.

“Because someone told me loyalty was a lot easier to achieve when you gave someone a choice,” he replied, giving her a cheeky look before a serious look went over his face. “I did not make this choice lightly, but I hope this is a step forward for us. I hope if there is anything you ever need to talk about with me, that you will feel more comfortable now that you know you aren’t compelled to do what I say.”

Andy smiled back at him as convincingly as she could manage, but a part of her felt as if there were secret meanings in his words. Klaus wouldn’t do anything that didn’t benefit him, and this was something that had to benefit him to a degree. She knew he had noticed her unease during the day, and probably hoped she would confide in him. He wanted her to be comfortable in telling him more about anything else she learned with his family.

A part of her wanted to believe she was overthinking it. But with Klaus, she couldn’t trust him. She knew how good of a manipulator he was. She wouldn’t fall prey to him. “Of course,” Andy answered after a moment of silence. A satisfied look passed on his face before he turned to look at the skyline.

“You are probably hungry, are you not?” he asked after a moment of silence between them. “I should check up on Gloria. Would you like me to drop you off at the hotel? I imagine if Gloria hasn’t discovered anything, the rest of us will probably grab another drink before we return.”

“That would be great actually,” Andy said, the vial of vervain coming to mind. With Klaus having freed her from the compulsion, if she was able to drink it, then she wouldn’t be able to be compelled. If Gloria discovered anything damning, then Klaus wouldn’t be able to compel answers from her.

Turning to watch Klaus again, she desperately hoped that he would never find out about her sister. If it meant that she had to stay by his side forever she would. She knew one thing, if he found out about Elena, then no one she loved would be safe from his wrath.

* * *

 

As soon as Andy got back to the hotel, she decided to shower and relax for a bit while waiting for them to come back. After she was clean, she was sitting by her phone, waiting for some indication of information from the others. As she sat there drumming her fingers, her gaze caught the envelope sitting on the nightstand. She had told Klaus she had thrown it out, but she couldn’t.

Gently picking it up, she wondered why she hadn’t opened it before. With all her insistence that Elijah didn’t mean anything, she had avoided the letter but hadn’t had the guts to throw out the envelope. Hell, she even carried around the chess piece he had once given her. They had only had one conversation about chess, but she had clutched onto the piece as if it was a symbol of something more. She didn’t know anything about Elijah other than she had felt a connection with him, something she hadn’t been able to explain at the time. Now she wondered if there was a supernatural connection to him like she had with Klaus.

Finally making a choice and not wanting to back out of it, Andy tore the letter open. The handwriting was as flawless as she had anticipated. It was neat cursive and had been perfected over his lifetime. Andy buckled down as she began to read the letter.

_“Andrea,_

_I know what you must think of me know. I do not blame you any negative feelings you may have against me now. I am sorry for your losses, and I feel partly responsible for them. I give you my word that your family’s secret is safe with me. I am truly glad to know she is okay and I give you my word that I will ensure my brother and I are out of your town as soon as possible. I will not let him find out. I know my word does not mean much anymore, but I would not have betrayed you had it not been for my family. I know it will not comfort you, but had you been in my position, I know you wouldn’t have hesitated in making the same choice. I cannot apologize for my reasons, only for my actions. My family has not been whole for centuries, and I hope to be able to have them back for once. I have the deepest regrets for how my actions will affect your life._

_Niklaus has told me of the deal you made with him for Jenna’s life. I ask you to not seek him out; I do not believe he will seek you out until he may need something from you. I will do my best to release you from this agreement. It is the least I can do after my actions. Your love for your family is not different from my own, and perhaps someday you may be able to understand why I did what I did._

_Your fortitude is admirable. Carry it with you, as I will always carry my regret._

_Elijah._ ”

Andy read over the lines again for a few minutes. It wasn’t as long as she had imagined, but what was else was there for him to say? He was less unapologetic in the letter just as he had been the last time she had seen him. His words were no comfort to her now, not after how long it had been. She understood more of why he had betrayed them, but it didn’t make any of this mess easier. She almost felt apathetic to his words.

Deciding she no longer wanted to read the letter, she went to search the kitchen for a pack of matches. Satisfied when she found some, she moved to the living room and bent in front of the fireplace. There were untouched logs in there, a result of the summertime, and she wasted no time in lighting the fire. She looked down at the letter one last time before she tossed it into the fire. If Klaus found it, then he would question why Elijah wanted them to leave Mystic Falls as quickly as possible. As much as she wanted to keep the letter to read again later on, she wouldn’t risk Elena’s life.

Reaching into her pocket, she removed the wooden chess piece. She had no use for it, it really meant nothing now. Just as she went to toss the queen into the fire, the door slammed open. Abruptly turning toward the sound, Andy saw Klaus standing in the doorway with a look of pure anger on his face.

“Klaus?” she questioned as she stood to her feet. In a split second, he was in front of her, grabbing her arms tightly and sneering at her.

“What did you tell Stefan?” he demanded, his eyes wild with emotion.

“What are you talking about? Klaus, you’re hurting me,” Andy said, doing her best to wiggle out of his grasp but he kept her in place.

“Tell me what you told Stefan about Mikael,” Klaus stated, not breaking eye contact with her.

“I didn’t tell him anything about Mikael,” Andy replied in a monotone. Klaus scrutinized her closely before he finally released his grip on her. She blinked a few times, realizing he had just compelled her again. She rubbed her arms and backed away from him, watching him with a cautious look. So he would release her from his compulsion, but he wouldn’t hesitate to compel her again. Why did he think she had told Stefan about Mikael anyway? “What the fuck, Klaus?”

Klaus looked away from her, his gaze boring into the fire. “Gloria is gone.”

“What?” Andy’s mind began reeling. Why had the witch fled? It didn’t make any sense. Sure, she might be powerful but what made her think that Klaus wouldn’t track her down?

“We’re leaving Chicago. Grab only what you need,” he ordered, his gaze snapping back to her. “Hurry. We leave as soon as you’re ready.”

“Where are we going?” she asked incredulously. Were they off to another witch, or would they be looking for Gloria?

“You are trying my patience, love. I suggest you change now before I drag you out in that bathrobe,” Klaus said as he walked around her to put out the fire.

Andy scowled and folded her arms across her chest. “Why did you think I told Stefan about Mikael?”

“Did I just not say to hurry?”

Andy scoffed at him but nonetheless went to her room. She threw on a pair of comfortable jeans and t-shirt before she remembered the vervain at the bottom of one of her bags. She walked over to the bag and fished the vial out. She quickly drank it before hiding it again in case Klaus came through here later. If he wanted to compel her again, he was going to have a hard time. When she went to meet Klaus in the living room again, he was staring out at the city with a dark expression.

“Klaus?” She called, swallowing nervously. She didn’t have a good feeling about this at all, but she didn’t know anything past that Stefan apparently now knew something about Mikael, and that Gloria was MIA. Clearly, Klaus had something in mind, something he didn’t want to share with her.

“This is your last chance to tell me if there is anything bothering you, love,” Klaus said after a moment, his voice dangerously low. He slowly turned to face her, an unhappy look on his face. “Or anything that you’ve kept hidden from me.”

Andy’s brows furrowed slightly, but she wasn’t certain if he was trying to bait her again or if he had some genuine concerns with her. After all of his talk earlier about putting trust in her, he was now acting like she was playing him for a fool.

“There’s nothing, Klaus. Seriously, what is going on?” Andy said after a moment, keeping her voice even as possible. Klaus watched her with a thoughtful look before he turned and strode toward the door.

“We’re going to see some old friends.”

**_~ * • ° • ° • * ~_ **


	24. Honesty is Such a Lonely Word

_**Poison & Wine ~ Chapter XXIV** _

_**~ * • ° • ° • * ~** _

_Snap. Snap. Snap._

The sound of a neck breaking had been the playlist for their current trip. Once they had started to head out of Chicago, the Originals had been unusually quiet. Moreover, Stefan hadn't even ridden in the truck—not that there was any room. It wasn't until they were a bit down the road that Klaus had pulled on the side of the road and went to the back of the truck. Rebekah hadn't stopped Andy from following Klaus.

When Andy walked around the corner to see Stefan was in the back with the coffins, her worry really began to build. Klaus had asked for the truth from Stefan, he denied everything, and Klaus snapped his neck. Andy didn't understand why exactly Klaus hadn't compelled Stefan to tell him like he had no issue doing with her, but she strongly suspected it was because he wanted a reason to not to punish them whenever he found out whatever he wanted to know. He wanted their loyalty and honesty free of charge even after everything he had done to them. The hybrid told her to get back in the car before they continued forward. Andy hadn't even know where they were heading until they hit West Virginia. Then the fear set in as she began to think Klaus was going to Mystic Falls. Any time she had questioned them, she got vague answers. She soon realized that she couldn't visibly freak out too much because she didn't want to tip the siblings off about anything. She couldn't warn anyone over the phone because Rebekah was watching her every move closely. She was trapped, and it made her sick to her stomach. There had to be some way to warn Elena to run.

Within hours they had arrived in Mystic Falls just before nightfall, with Klaus stopping every once and a while to snap Stefan's neck. However, instead of going into Mystic Falls, Klaus had parked the truck in front of the "Welcome to Mystic Falls" sign for dramatics.

" _Klaus," Andy said as the three of them waited patiently in the back of the truck for Stefan to wake up. Klaus wasn't done with his interrogation of Stefan, but he had surprisingly not questioned her any further. Klaus turned to look at her, a contemplative look on his face. "Are you going to finally tell me what are we doing_ here _?"_

" _I am tired of being lied to, love. I expected loyalty from Stefan. If it turns out that he's not lying, then there is no love lost. However, I'd rather be safe than sorry," Klaus paused momentarily, looking over her face. "Trust me, love. Your family will not know about our presence here. I will ensure it is not known."_

_Just before Andy could protest and request that she go see her family to warn them, Stefan woke up with a start. He glanced around and focused on Klaus, his eyes wide. "Just give me a chance to explain myself, okay?" Stefan said, hoping to get in a word before Klaus snapped his neck again._

" _No need. I'm not mad, I'm just curious. Rebekah seems to think you're holding onto something. A piece of your old life," Klaus backed up to the door of the truck. Andy swallowed nervously and looked over at Stefan. She wondered if Stefan had unknowingly tipped Rebekah off about Elena. He would have never purposefully done it. "The thing is, she's got flawless instincts, borderline supernatural. So I thought I would check it out. See for myself what it is you've been hiding. Welcome back to Mystic Falls, Stefan_."

"For the last fourteen hours I have wondered what could be the one thing that Stefan would hold onto," Klaus said after he just snapped Stefan's neck for the twentieth time.

Andy had been stuck in the truck the entire time, and with the door closed there was no indication of what time it was. She had just been silently sitting by Elijah's coffin with her legs pulled up to her chest, watching the scene unfold. She didn't know what Stefan had done to tip them off, but she was cursing him. Even if he hadn't meant to, everything that they had done to prevent Klaus from knowing Elena had survived was about to be destroyed in moments. Fortunately, Andy hadn't heard him order any of his goons to investigate the town.

"Do you have any suggestions, love?" Andy looked up to see Klaus was looking directly at her, a blank expression on his face. She hated him so much for seeming so indifferent to all of this. It was moments like this where she was truly reminded how terrible he could be, wondering how on Earth she could get along with him.

"His brother lives here. His friends live here. His life was here. What else do you want me to say?" she asked with annoyance seeped in her voice.

"No, there's something else. He's hiding something," Rebekah said as she stood straight up from leaning against the wall. "I saw it when he was speaking about that dead doppelganger. There was something in his eyes."

"Sorry I can't be any more help," Andy replied dryly as she looked away from them. She hoped she was selling it well. Her nerves were shot and she was doing her best not to show how sweaty she was or how fast her heart was beating, though she imagined they heard it. She did her best to calm herself, though it wasn't doing much. Klaus pursed his lips slightly, his gaze flickering away briefly. "I don't understand why you think Stefan is hiding something from you. He's done everything you've asked, more than I have."

"Stefan disappeared for hours and during that time, Gloria clears out completely. There was no sign of her. As soon as Stefan gets back, he begins fishing for information about Mikael, who only  _you_  knew about. And all day long, you both were acting weird and nervous, particularly Stefan about the necklace," Klaus walked closer to her, bending down so that they were eye level with one another. "Seeing as you don't have it, I imagine somehow Stefan got his hands on the necklace back in the twenties considering how close he was with my sister. Perhaps he left that necklace here, or maybe he gave it to someone here. Someone he loved deeply."

Andy suddenly stood to her feet, upset with him. He stood up with her and looked down at her, but she held her chin high as she scowled at him. "So, what? You want to go dig up my sister's body and look for a necklace that might not even be there?" she demanded through clenched teeth. "Haven't you done enough to her? If anything, let me go to my home and go look through her room. And don't even think about doing it yourself, you will  _not_  go near my family."

Klaus watched her for a moment, a look of realization slowly dawning on him. Andy felt her breath catch as she looked at him, wondering what was going through his mind. "Do you know back when I was going to break the curse with Katerina, that Elijah was desperate to find a way for her to survive? He knew how much she meant to Milena," Andy didn't move her gaze away from him. She stared him down, keeping her expression as neutral as possible. "I wouldn't have put it past him to try to save your sister, Andy. Especially if he felt an inkling of the admiration you clearly held for him."

"Elena died during your sacrifice," Andy stated, trying her best to reign her emotions in. She was feeling desperate and angry for this. She clenched her fists, hoping the shaking wouldn't be as noticeable. It was something she had been scared would happen, but never imagined actually would. Now it was too late, and yet Andy couldn't bring herself to tell him the truth. The moment he knew, he would kill Elena and everyone else in this town.

"But did she come back?" Klaus questioned, his blue eyes scrutinized her. "You are clearly upset about something, love. It will be a lot easier if you just tell me."

"Why don't we pay a visit to that brother and aunt of hers?" Rebekah suggested from her spot by Stefan's unconscious body. "That will get her to talk."

"If you even touch—" Andy started to leap toward the blonde, but Klaus grabbed her by the arm to stop her, his eyes wild as he peered down at her.

"You've lied to me this entire summer. All your words of friendship were hollow. All you wanted was to protect something, the same thing Stefan was doing. I should have known better than to release you from the compulsion. I  _trusted_  you," Klaus looked at her with a furious look, but his eyes looked almost sad as he looked back at her. Finally, he let go of her arms and turned to leave. "I suppose now I'll have to go check for myself. You will stay here with your  _comrade_."

"Klaus!" Andy exclaimed, her desperation taking over. He stopped walking but didn't turn to look at her. "Don't do this…  _Please_. This is my home. There are innocent people. They're my family. They're all I have left."

Klaus stayed still for a second longer before he spoke to his sister as he opened up the back of the truck again. "Whenever Stefan wakes up, snap his neck until you hear from me. Make sure neither of them leaves," He turned to look at Andy, a hard look in his eyes. She felt the words catch in her throat, pleas that she wanted to shout out to spare her family. Klaus looked as if there was to be no mercy shown tonight. "And if you see a phone,  _crush_  it."

With that, Klaus disappeared. Andy felt a sense of dread fall over her as she sunk to her knees. Klaus would go to her home and discover that Elena was alive. He would kill her without even thinking twice about it. And here Andy was, stuck with his sister who hated her guts. She couldn't do anything, not like this. She wanted to cry but she couldn't, not in front of Rebekah. No, Andy only had one choice to save her family at this point.

"Rebekah," Andy said shakily as she turned to face the blonde. Rebekah narrowed her eyes and looked back with a suspicious expression. "You have to let me go after him.  _Please_."

"If you weren't lying about your sister, then you have nothing to fear. Though, considering that final plea, I have a feeling you were," Rebekah replied as she walked over to her. She stood over Andy, looking down at her with a haughty air. "Besides, I don't particularly want to be on the receiving end of my brother's ire, especially because whenever he discovers what you all are hiding."

"They're my family, Rebekah!" Andy exclaimed in desperation as she climbed to her feet again. "If he sees anyone he doesn't like, then he's going to kill them. I can't let the people I love die when I can do something about it. You can't tell me that you wouldn't want to do the same in my position."

"Something I'm certain my brothers admire greatly about you, but you're stuck here," Rebekah replied in a flippant manner as she turned and went to go stand by the exit.

"Your family lies in coffins around you. Whenever you inevitably do something that annoys him, Klaus  _is_  going to dagger you again. He kept you locked away for  _ninety years_  because  _he_  decided it was the right thing to do. You could free them if you wanted to, and yet you're not doing one thing to save them. Elijah was willing to kill his own brother for all of you," Andy pointed out.

"And now Elijah lays daggered! He's my  _brother_ , Andy. You are wasting your time if you think I would ever betray him," Rebekah snapped, turning her back toward her as she walked over to the door and stared out at the night. Andy sighed, looking down at Stefan's body.

"There's never been a time in your life when you've betrayed him? Or has he only ever daggered you because he perceives your actions as a betrayal?" Andy asked, trying to find something to exploit to help her family. She wondered if she could get a phone call to Jenna in time but knew if Rebekah even heard the line ringing she would crush her phone. She could try texting Jenna.

"It doesn't matter much now, does it?" Rebekah questioned bitterly. Andy swallowed softly and tried to take her phone out as quietly as possible. She turned and walked over to Elijah's coffin, doing her best to be as stealthy as possible as she typed a message to Jenna.

"How did Stefan even find out about Mikael?" Andy asked, hoping that if she spoke loud enough that Rebekah wouldn't take notice of what she was doing.

"We thought you had told him," the Original admitted. Suddenly Rebekah was right behind her and had snatched her phone away. Andy spun around and looked at the blonde in fear. "I told Nik he should've killed you as soon as he was given the chance… Let's see. 'J, we're in town.' Who is J? Isn't your sister's name Elena? Is that some kind of stupid nickname? Or wait, what was the brother's name again? Jared?"

"I'll do whatever I have to protect my family," Andy said, clenching her fists and seeing that Stefan was beginning to stir. She prayed she could keep Rebekah attention until then. "I can't let him hurt them again. If Jenna finds out I'm in town, she'll try to take out Klaus. I'm texting my brother to get her away."

"What a pity," Rebekah said before speeding over to Stefan and snapping his neck just as he started to get up silently. She stood straight up, fixing Andy with a fierce look. There was nothing they could hide from her and Andy despised it. "I had hoped you were less like Milena. No wonder I don't like you."

"I'm not Milena or Anastasia," Andy shot back as she took a few steps closer to Rebekah. "And you'll never—" The sound of Andy's phone ringing catching them off guard.

"It's my brother," Rebekah stated before answering it. Andy suddenly felt fear truly take over her as she looked at the original and saw her changing expressions.

"Interesting. Yes, we'll meet you there," Rebekah said before she hung up the phone. She grabbed Andy's arm and drug her out of the back of the truck. Closing the back door, she gestured to Andy to follow. Klaus knew, and now everything was about to go to hell. "You're going to take us to your old high school."

"No, I'm not," Andy stood her ground, glaring at Rebekah. "You can't compel me. And if you leave me here, then I can walk to someone's house. I know this town. You're fucked either way."

"You are so dreadfully boring, aren't you?" Rebekah stated before she sped toward Andy, grabbing her arms and then hitting her head against the truck. Andy barely had any time to process what was happening before she blacked out.

* * *

"Ohh! Oh, come on!  _Seriously_?! Do you know how long it took for us to set all this up?!" Caroline exclaimed in annoyance as the mouse traps around the classroom were set off by Matt's entrance to the room. He turned on the lights as Tyler, Caroline, and Bonnie stood up after nearly an hour and a half of setting up these traps. Elena was perched on a desk, having trapped herself in the middle of a bunch of traps.

"Forgot about senior prank night, huh?" Tyler asked with a grin at Matt's dumbfounded expression.

" _Clearly_ ," Matt replied as he looked between all of them.

Caroline scoffed as if she was offended by his words. "How  _could_  you forget? We've only been waiting for this since like freshman year!"

Elena smiled at him, holding up a few traps for him to see. "Yeah, Matt. If I'm doing this, you're doing this."

Matt shifted uncomfortably. "I'm kind of surprised any of you are doing this," he admitted.

"Caroline's making us," Bonnie explained with a roll of her eyes.

"We're about to be seniors. These are the memories that will stay with us forever, and if we don't..."

"And if we don't create these memories now, then what's the point of it all?" Elena finished Caroline's sentence, having heard the words repeated a million times in the last few days. Between everything that had happened with Stefan and Andy, she had no intention of participating in senior prank night. However, Jenna had insisted that it would be fun and after everything that Jenna had gone through in the past month, Elena wanted to give her a moment of peace. Alaric had been willing to keep an eye on her so she wasn't alone. Besides, Elena figured it would give the two some time to work out their problems.

"Go ahead and make fun, I don't care," Caroline said with a grin. Since Alaric wasn't here tonight, it presented a perfect opportunity to get him. Elena hopped off the desk, no longer afraid of the mousetraps, and grabbed the superglue on the teacher's desk.

"You're all lame. And I've got ten more classrooms to prank," Tyler said as he picked up a bag and left the room. Elena headed to the door, offering Matt a smile when Bonnie stopped her.

"Hey! Where are you going?"

"To superglue Alaric's desk shut," she replied as she turned to look back at her friends with a smile. "I'm making memories."

"I love you!" Caroline called to her as she left the room.

On her way out, she heard Tyler giving instructions to other students while he handed them rolls of saran wrap. "Get the faculty toilet seats, and Dana needs bodies in the gym. Let's go."

Elena laughed, mainly because she surprised to find herself at ease after everything. When Jenna had the accident a few weeks back, it felt like everything was put on hold to help her. She was still struggling with what happened when Damon got the tip that Stefan and Andy were in Chicago but had insisted that someone go to get Andy even though she couldn't. However, Jenna had unknowingly followed them and there hadn't been an accident at all but seeing Andy had sent Jenna into more of a downward spiral. Ever since they had gotten back, there had been a tense silence between all of them, even Damon; they had lost Stefan and Andy, and from the looks were never getting either of them back.

Elena could accept not seeing Stefan again, it would hurt but she would be able to move on one day. Andy, however, was her twin; they had done nearly everything together and now she was under Klaus's control. They had not been together on their birthdays for the first time ever. She knew Jeremy was also torn up over it, and he had been distant a lot more recently though it had gotten slightly better since Bonnie returned from her summer vacation with family. Both siblings had known Andy intended to go to Klaus to hand herself over, but they hadn't done anything to stop her. Now it was too late and Elena knew she blamed herself for what Jenna did, and suspected Jeremy did as well.

Pushing through a set of double doors, Elena started down the halfway to Alaric's classroom when she bumped straight into someone. Looking up, dread filled her when she made eye contact with someone who had haunted her dreams. She still could feel the icky feeling when he had drunk from her for the sacrifice.

"There's my girl," he said, a grin on his face.

"Klaus!" Elena sputtered out, the shock slowly wearing off as she realized she needed to get away from him. He wasn't supposed to know she was alive. Turning, she tried to run only to bump into him again. This time he had an unhappy expression on his face.

"You are supposed to be dead. What are we going to do about that?"

* * *

"Keep it up," Klaus said, noticing that the Dana girl was starting to shake. He stood there, bored and waiting for his sister to bring Tyler in or for Bonnie Bennett to arrive. Either way, his hybrid problem was getting solved tonight, though it would happen a lot sooner if the witch would show her face already.

"Where's my sister? And Stefan? What did you do to them?" Elena demanded, turning to face him with an angry look that reminded him of Andy. He was still trying to decide what to do with his companions. They had both not mentioned that Elena had survived the sacrifice, which was probably the reason for his hybrids not working. They had both been there the night his hybrids hadn't worked and Andy knew how upset he had been. They had lied to him. It was slowly starting to make sense to him why Andy had been so willing to become friends with him despite the fact he "killed" her sister. He had been so stupid, so blind when it came to her. Never again. Still, before he did anything, he needed to make sure his hybrids would work. That was the most important thing to him now.

"Stefan's on a timeout," Klaus explained, hesitating a moment. "And your sister is… well, I haven't yet decided. She's somehow in more trouble than your Salvatore."

"Leave her alone! Whatever she did, it was because I asked her to. Your problem is with  _me_ , not her," Elena insisted, causing Klaus to roll his eyes. He knew Andy wouldn't do anything she didn't want to do unless she was forced, something he didn't believe Elena was capable of. He knew everything that Andy had done was for her family, and while he admired that devotion, his anger eclipsed all of the trust that he had once placed in her. He had been foolish to ever consider removing the compulsion. Her plead with him tonight had sounded momentarily caused him to pause, the raw fear in her voice breaking through a wall in him, but it also was a confirmation that Elena was alive. When he went around this small town, it didn't take him long to find the doppelganger.

"Touching, but pointless," he said nonchalantly. "Your sister would make a similar plea if she was here."

Elena looked as if she was about to say something else, but they were distracted by the doors of the gym opening. "Bonnie, get out of here!" she exclaimed, the fear evident for her friends in her voice.

Klaus rushed over to stand behind Bonnie with a smirk, glad to see the shock in Bonnie's eyes. "Ah, I was wondering when you'd show up. Now we can get started," He looked over at Dana. "Dana, why don't you relax? You and Chad sit tight," He turned back to Bonnie, his smile falling away though he was satisfied she had the common sense to look a bit fearful. "I assume you're the reason Elena's still walking around alive?"

"That's right. If you want to blame someone, blame me," Bonnie snapped, putting herself partly in front of the human boy beside her.

"Oh, there's no need for blame, love. Just your witchy interference seems to have caused some undesirable side effects. And since you caused the problem, I'm going to have you find the fix," Klaus said, giving her a fake smile.

"Get off of me!" They all turned as Tyler's voice broke through the air along with the opening of the doors. Rebekah dragged him into the room, pulling him toward Klaus.

"Hush now," Rebekah snapped at the werewolf as she strode past Elena and Bonnie, stopping next to her brother.

"I'd like you all to meet my sister Rebekah. Word of warning... She can be quite mean."

Rebekah scoffed and scowled in his direction. "Don't be an ass," she replied as she threw Tyler into Klaus's arms.

"Leave him alone!" Elena exclaimed, anger in her tone as she moved to stand near her friends.

Klaus gripped Tyler's arm tightly. "I'm going to make this very simple... Every time I attempt to turn a werewolf into a vampire hybrid, they die during the transition. It's quite horrible, actually," He bit into his wrist and pulled Tyler against his chest, making sure not to break eye contact with the others as he made Tyler drink his blood. "I need you to find a way to save my hybrids, Bonnie. And for Tyler's sake... You better hurry."

Snapping his neck, Klaus allowed Tyler's body to fall to the ground. He smiled in satisfaction at seeing the shocked expressions staring back at him. "We'll give you a moment," he said, gesturing his sister to follow him as they went to go sit on the bleachers nearby. He chose one of the lower seats while Rebekah chose to sit up a row higher.

"They were still both knocked out cold when I left," Rebekah said, causing Klaus to raise an eyebrow and turn to look at his sister. He hadn't agreed with her knocking Andy out, but he couldn't do anything about it now. "Are you sure we shouldn't have tied them up?"

Klaus shook his head, his gaze remaining on the doppelganger across the room. "No, I want them to see tonight. I want them to know that it could have been avoided."

Rebekah mulled over his words in silence before speaking. "Well, I imagine Andy will have a headache when she waits. Probably a concussion, too, if not a bump on her head. Maybe a nice black eye."

"You didn't have to hit her that hard," Klaus pointed out.

"No, but she  _already_  betrayed you. You've known her for a shorter amount of time than you did Milena. I told you not to trust her and you did," Rebekah reminded him. "For once, I'm the one telling you not to get involved—"

"Enough, Rebekah," Klaus interrupted, not wanting to hear an entire "told you so" lecture from his sister who had made more mistakes when it came to trusting people. Turning his attention back to the humans in the room, he saw the human boy who had come in with Bonnie was next to Tyler's body while the others stood nearby.

"He… he killed him," Matt said after removing his hand from checking Tyler's pulse.

"He's not dead. Klaus's blood will turn him into a vampire," Elena explained softly.

"And if Bonnie's successful, he'll live through his transition," Klaus called before he stood and marched over to them, tired of waiting for answers. They'd be here all night if they didn't figure something out. "Go on, then. Go and fetch your grimoires and enchantments and what-not," he ordered to Bonnie before grabbing Elena's arm. "I'll hold on to Elena... for safe-keeping."

Bonnie looked at Elena, shaking her head to indicate she didn't want to leave her, but Elena nodded to the witch. Bonnie reluctantly turned and rushed out of the room with the other human. "So this is the latest doppelgänger," Rebekah said as she walked around to face Elena with an unimpressed look. "The original one was much prettier."

"Enough, Rebekah. Take the wolf boy elsewhere, would you?" Klaus stated. He was tired of hearing his sister's jealousy and choice words for the doppelgangers. He needed some peace and quiet. Rebekah threw him an annoyed look but still grabbed Tyler by the arm and drug him behind her and headed out of the gym. Elena tried to follow but Klaus held her back. "Just ignore her. Petty little thing."

* * *

When Andy woke up, she realized she was still in the back of the truck. Sitting up, she saw no sign of Rebekah or Stefan, but the door was open to reveal they were at Mystic Falls High School. Trying to ignore her headache, Andy stood and jumped out of the truck, surprised to see Stefan's unconscious body on the ground with a crowbar stabbed in his stomach.

"Stefan, wake up!" she exclaimed, harshly shaking him but he had yet to stir. She winced as she pulled out the crowbar, making sure not to look at the blood oozing out of his stomach. Hopefully, it would speed up his recovery process. He would just have to catch up later. She knew she was going to need help in preventing whatever Klaus was going to do.

Andy stood and booked it to the school. She was entirely certain where Klaus or Rebekah had gone, or why exactly they were at the high school, but there were limited places for them to be. As she ran through the hallways, her breathing heavy and her chest tight, she saw Bonnie and Matt walking in the distance.

"Bonnie! Matt!" she breathlessly called out to them. They turned around to look at her in shock.

"Andy?" Matt questioned as she ran up to them.

"Klaus is here. He knows something went wrong with the sacrifice," she said quickly as she stopped in front of them, leaning over as she caught her breath. She was more out of shape than she realized.

"Yeah, we know. He just gave Tyler his blood and killed him," Bonnie said. Andy's blood froze, and she put a hand up to her mouth. Klaus had signed Tyler's death warrant. His hybrids didn't work because Elena was alive… or maybe it was Elena's death warrant that had been signed.

"Is—is Elena—"

"She's alive. Klaus is holding her in the gym until we find a way to save his hybrids," Matt explained with a sad expression.

"Dammit!" Andy wanted to punch something but restrained herself as she thought over everything. Klaus was with Elena in the gym, and she assumed Rebekah and Tyler would be as well. She ran a hand down her face and looked at Bonnie, uncertain what they could do. "What are you going to do?"

"I have no idea. The curse he's talking about is a thousand years old. My grimoires don't go back that far," Bonnie answered. Andy looked down at her hand, remembering that Gloria had wanted her blood.

"No, but you have my blood," Andy pointed out before glancing around. "We need a knife and a vial. Come on." Andy turned and started rushing toward Alaric's classroom. The other two were quick to follow after her.

"Why do we need your blood?" Bonnie questioned as they quickly made their way through the school.

"A witch Klaus visited spoke of how old and powerful my blood is. She wanted to use it to contact the original witch," she explained, the very thought of Gloria sending a chill down her spine. "I don't know how much it will help, but it's got to do something."

They finally made it to Alaric's classroom, but Matt stopped at a janitor's closet while they went ahead inside. Andy dug through the desk and found a glass and a pocket knife. She cut her palm and poured a decent amount in the cup. She offered the glass of blood to Bonnie and was relieved when Matt returned with a hand towel he had found in the janitor's closet.

"Can you ask those dead witches that helped you before?" Matt asked Bonnie as she looked at the blood. Andy pressed the hand towel into her palm and tried to ignore the sting of it.

"I don't have contact with them anymore... They cut me off when I brought Jeremy back to life… That's it! I can't contact the dead. Jeremy can," Bonnie said excitedly as she pulled her phone out.

"That sounds like a plan, but I need to get to Klaus," When they gave her a surprised look, Andy sighed. "If he kills anyone else, that's on me. I can distract him or… something. I don't know. Just… get Jeremy and I'll handle Klaus."

* * *

When Andy burst through the double-doors of the gym, the scene was not how she pictured it would be. Elena was sitting on the ground, with Klaus standing at her back. And Stefan was now awake and here, but he was feeding on someone… was that Dana? Andy stopped in her tracks as a sense of dread overtook her.

" _Stop_!" she shouted as soon as she got her voice back. Klaus turned to look at her, an unhappy expression on his face when he noticed her. She knew she wouldn't be able to stop Stefan from feeding so instead she focused back on her sister. Andy ignored the look Klaus was giving her as she rushed into the room, sliding on her knees once she got close to Elena. She grabbed her sister by the shoulders and looked her over to see if there were any wounds. "Are you okay?"

Elena looked surprised to see her, her eyes watering slightly. "Yeah, I'm fine. Andy…"

"You're going to be okay," Andy assured her before she glanced back at Stefan feeding. He hadn't stopped feeding yet and a guy Andy didn't recognize stood in fear behind Stefan. Andy looked up at Klaus, seeing he was watching her. "Klaus,  _please_ , stop this. Nobody else has to die. If you want someone to kill, kill me. I hid the fact Elena was alive from you. I convinced Elijah to help us keep Elena alive. I'm who you're angry at."

Klaus rolled his eyes and waved toward Stefan. "You think I would ever listen to you? You've proven that you can't be trusted."

"Do you have zero sense of compassion? You know what, don't answer that," Andy shot back as she stood to her feet. "These people are innocent, Klaus."

"You just want me to spare Elena."

" _She's my sister_!" Andy screamed as closed the distance between her and Klaus. He straightened slightly and looked at her with his chin held high. "We did  _everything_  you asked of us for your fucking sacrifice and you still tried to kill Jenna, Caroline, and Tyler. You daggered Elijah after promising to reunite him with your family—not the technicality you are fucking claiming. Did you think I'd ever trust telling you my sister didn't stay dead by your hands? You're just going to kill her again. You say you can't trust me, but I've never been able to trust you."

Klaus looked at her for a moment, a hint of hurt in his eyes, before his gaze bored to Stefan. Andy turned to see he was now feeding on the man, and Dana laid dead on the ground. Andy went to try to stop Stefan, but Klaus grabbed her. "Do  _not_  touch me," Andy snapped as she spun back toward Klaus.

"You with your talk of trust. Everything you did this summer was a lie. Do not expect to tug any heartstrings with me. All you are is the means to an end. I'll have to decide what your punishment is now," Klaus decided, giving her a mocking smile. "After all, we have a little time before I get the confirmation to kill Elena."

"I wish Elijah had killed you when he had the chance. I bet he does, too," Andy spat at him. Klaus's smile fell, and he gazed at her with a hard look in his eye before he finally shook his head.

"I had thought we were friends, Andy. I did  _not_  betray you when we were friends. You may leave now. Perhaps go enjoy some time with Jenna while you still can," Klaus said, walking around her. Andy turned to watch him, a tight feeling in her chest. She had actually trusted him, had maybe thought he wasn't entirely a dick, but now he was undoing everything that they had worked for.

"I will never forgive you for this," Andy stated before she knelt down beside Elena again. Her sister had been watching her exchange with Klaus in silence. "Where is Damon?"

"I-I don't know," Elena admitted in a soft voice as she held out her phone that Andy immediately snatched and slipped into her pocket, hoping that Klaus wouldn't catch sight of it. Andy sighed and looked back to Stefan, seeing he was finished with the man and was looking at the bodies. "Klaus compelled him to do what he said."

Andy's gaze snapped to Klaus. Had he compelled Stefan just as he had once compelled her? He hadn't really changed at all, he was still the same person who had terrorized her town all those months ago. "Well, it's always nice to see a vampire in his true element. The species has become such a broody lot. Just ask Andy. She saw plenty of it when she was with me," Klaus said, turning back to face them. "Stefan takes the cake for broodiness."

"No.  _You_  did this to him," Elena snapped as she stood to her feet. Stefan turned to face them, wiping a little of the blood dripping down his chin away as he looked at Andy and Elena in shame.

"I invited him to the party, love. He's the one dancing on the table," Klaus said with a smile as he looked back at the doppelgangers.

They all turned toward the doors as Rebekah burst into the room, an angry expression on her face as she strode toward them. "Where is it?! Where's my necklace?"

"What are you talking about?" Klaus asked.

"She has my necklace.  _Look_ ," Rebekah held out a cell phone to her brother. Klaus took the phone and zoomed in on the picture. Andy looked at Stefan with a torn look, realizing that the reason he had been so sketched out about the necklace was that it had been the one he had given to Elena.

"Well, well. More lies," Klaus commented as he handed the phone back to his sister.

Rebekah was seething with anger as she turned to face Elena. " _Where_...  _is it_?"

"I don't have it anymore," Elena replied.

"You're  _lying_!" Rebekah screamed and lunged at Elena. Andy quickly pushed her sister to the side, but Rebekah simply grabbed her and slung her to the side before she went to attack Elena. Andy slid across the floor, feeling her head crack against the ground again, and she ended up in the pool of blood by the bodies Stefan had drunk from. When her vision blurred, she was taken into a blood red room and screams filled her ears, the same screams in her dreams. The ones she had heard from her first few weeks of traveling with Klaus and Stefan.

Andy sat up in the blood red room, looking around at it. It looked like it was made out of wood but had been painted with red. There was only a darkness that she could see through the cracks where the screams were coming from. There was no furniture in the room, just walls and a door covered in red. The room began to shake as the screams grew louder.

Andy stood and started to go toward the door when it started to shake furiously. She backed away from it until her back hit the wall, hardly processing the sticky feeling of something against her. The screams were becoming deafening and the hut was rattling around her, but the door was acting like something was repeatedly running against it. Suddenly, Andy felt hands all over her body. She tried pulling out of them, but it was as if she couldn't even move. Turning her head, she saw hands sticking through the walls that were holding her down, the screams pounding in her head as the hands gripped her tighter and tighter—

"Andy?" Elena's voice caused Andy's eyes to snap open. She blinked furiously as she looked up to see she was back in the gym. The screams were gone, but the pounding in her head was not. She was gazing at her sister, who was knelt over her. Andy sat up, a move that caused her to become light-headed. Taking a deep breath, she looked down at the blood on her seeing that there was blood all over her clothes, some of her own and some from the people Stefan killed.

She had dreams before of the people she had seen killed, but nothing like that. Nothing so… vivid. Every time she blinked it felt like she was back in that room. She felt sick to her stomach and her head was pounding despite the silence permeating the gym.

"Are you okay, Andy?" Elena asked. Andy's gaze landed on Klaus who was looking at her with something that she could have sworn was akin to worry. She stared at him for a moment before nodding to Elena and gesturing for her help up. "Where did that cut come from?" Elena asked softly as she helped Andy to her feet.

"I gave my blood to Bonnie to help," Andy said, hoping it would piss Klaus off. She reached up with her uncut hand and felt the blood on her face and neck, cringing. She felt like she could barely stand on her feet now, and didn't even know how she was going to walk anywhere. She felt disgusting but didn't have anything with her to change into. The blood felt like a reminder of the hands that were holding her down and Elena's grasp didn't help. Without trying to seem rude or mean, Andy pulled away from her sister's hands, not wanting to be touched by anything at the moment. She wondered how long she had been out, but from the looks of it, it hadn't been long. Rebekah was glaring at Andy and Elena, Stefan was looking on in concern, and Klaus seemed displeased.

"Since we're doing this the hard way, let's put a clock on it, shall we?" He turned and stalked over to the table with the controls for the scoreboard. Andy furrowed her eyebrows in confusion as the buzzer went off when the clock appeared on the board. She flinched at the loud sound, the screams coming back to her momentarily. He had put twenty minutes on the clock. He then sped over to Stefan and grabbed his shoulder to force him to look into his eyes. "Twenty minutes. If Bonnie hasn't found a solution by then, I want you to feed again. Only this time, I want you to feed on Elena. You know you want to."

"No, Klaus! Don't do this to him!" Elena begged.

"Klaus," Andy said, horror in her voice. "Don't— _please_ —"

"No one leaves. If she tries to run, fracture her spine," Klaus ordered and headed for the door. Rebekah glanced between the two before she followed her brother. Andy couldn't just let this happen, but now that Stefan was compelled, there would be no way she could stop him on her own. She needed help,  _fast_.

"I'll—I'll be back," Andy promised Elena, feeling a little guilty for leaving her sister alone but Andy couldn't do anything to help them from inside the gym. Elena gave her a nod and made a gesture to call someone. She hoped Stefan's compulsion didn't extend to her, but following right on Klaus's heels, the Salvatore didn't try to stop her. "Klaus." She called as she stopped in the hallway.

He sighed and looked at his sister. "Go back to the werewolf. I'll come to you should a solution arise," Rebekah threw Andy a glare before she sped off. Klaus turned to face her, an unimpressed look on his face as Andy stumbled, feeling light-headed and nauseous. "You have some nerve after everything. I mean, here you are, bloodied and desperate. Honestly, I expected more from you, but how can I forget how truly pathetic you are? I still remember how weak you looked at the sacrifice as you begged me to spare Jenna's life."

"For someone who was treated as being weak his entire human life, one would think you wouldn't try your hardest to make everyone else feel that way," Andy said as she closed the distance between them. He looked at her with frustration and annoyance, but she continued on. "Let's get some things straight, Klaus. I  _never_  told Stefan about Mikael. I never knew that Elena's necklace was your sister's. I don't regret not telling you about Elena. Most importantly, if anyone I love dies tonight, Mikael or whoever is in that freaky coffin is going to be the least of your worries."

Andy pushed past him with the intention of finding a place away from him to call Damon or Jenna to hurry their asses here to save Elena from being on the receiving end of Stefan's fangs. "I don't take kindly to threats, love."

"I don't either, dipshit," Andy called back to him but continued walking. Things would be so much easier if Andy was strong enough to fight him herself, but she was a  _human_. She wasn't strong enough to fight anyone, let alone an original, especially in the condition she was now. She could barely walk on her own and her head was pounding. The only one who would be strong enough is Rebekah, but she had an undying loyalty to Klaus. All the other originals were daggered outside.

They were daggered outside, all alone. Rebekah was busy looking after Tyler. Turning back, Andy saw that Klaus was out of sight, presumably going to check on Bonnie's progress. Even if he was going to make sure that his family was there, Andy had a window of opportunity, one she didn't intend to waste. If anyone would be able to help her save her sister tonight, there was one person in those coffins that Andy could count on to be angrier at Klaus than she was.

Andy immediately turned and started making her way outside as fast as possible, hoping dearly that Klaus wasn't out here. She knew that what she planned on doing was likely going to further push her and the hybrid apart, but it was something that she was trying to assure herself was for the better. Even if his behavior had greatly improved, tonight revealed that he was still that same monster that she had met all those months ago, he just had more layers than she originally believed.

As Andy staggered through the hallways, she tried calling Damon's phone and texting him when he didn't answer. What bottle had him this far gone that he wouldn't even answer Elena's messages?

Finally bursting out of the double-doors, Andy sucked in a breath of relief at seeing that the truck was still there. She rushed toward it but made herself sick in the process. She found herself falling down and throwing up in the parking lot. However, all she could think about was yanking that dagger out of Elijah's heart as quickly as possible. Once she was finished emptying her stomach—ignoring the red flashes before her eyes as the vomit exited her body—she climbed to her feet and pulled her cell phone out, dialing Jenna's number as she climbed into the back of the truck.

Andy made a beeline to Elijah's coffin and slung it open. For a moment, she hesitated upon seeing his face again. Maybe waking him wasn't that bright of an idea, but she didn't know the others in the coffins and there was no chance in hell she was going near the coffin that had freaked her out previously. No, if anyone was going to be woken, it needed to be Elijah.

The phone beeped as it went to voicemail, and she didn't hesitate to hit redial as she reached for the dagger, wrapping her hand around the hilt. This was not a time for hesitation, she needed to do this now or within what probably now was fifteen minutes Elena would be Stefan's dinner. However, if he sided with his brother again, or worse, just wanted to remove the dagger from his other siblings, then things would go sideways. The only option was for Andy to move their bodies and use them to get Klaus to back off of his threats to kill Elena, though that might just start another war, one Andy wasn't sure she wanted to fight but she wasn't certain she had any choice.

"Hello?" Relief flooded Andy at hearing Jenna's voice. She momentarily released the dagger and sighed in relief.

"Jenna, it's… it's Andy. We're at the high school. Klaus knows Elena is alive. You need to get here as soon as possible," Andy explained in a hurry.

" _What?_ "

"I'm going to wake up Elijah. Maybe—" Andy heard movement behind her and quickly spun to face it. Her entire body froze at the sight of a person standing there. Her mind suddenly came to a standstill, the rattling in her brain stopping momentarily. She was vaguely aware of Jenna calling her name and asking her what was wrong, but Andy couldn't take her attention off the person before her. "This—this is impossible."

"You're going to shut up and get in the car. And if you think about escaping, then I'll make sure Klaus knows exactly what you were trying to do."

* * *

Klaus walked into the classroom where his sister was babysitting the hybrid-in-transition and his vampire girlfriend. Admittedly, the day had not been going Klaus's way at all, but since the Bennett witch was capable enough, she was able to find him an answer to his problems. However, it had been the one he expected, but he wasn't about to just kill the doppelganger without proof her blood didn't work.

Andy's blood hadn't worked on Ray, but now that Klaus thought about it, Ray had lasted longer than some of the others had, though he ultimately didn't successfully transition. Klaus knew it was just like his mother to try to screw him over even from the grave, so her insistence that Elena should have died in the sacrifice didn't quite sit well with him.

"Well, the verdict's in. The original witch says the doppelgänger should be dead," he announced to the trio as he entered. He walked over to Tyler, the boy looking at him in defiance while Caroline looked between them fearfully.

Rebekah jumped up to her feet happily. "Does that mean we can kill her?"

"No, I'm fairly certain it means the opposite," Klaus said as he yanked Tyler up to his feet. Caroline stood as well and started moving forward as if to stop him.

"What?!" Rebekah demanded, though grabbed Caroline from behind to restrain her.

"Call it a hunch..." He showed a test tube containing blood to Tyler. After he had gotten his answer, Klaus had returned to his ripper and doppelganger. Stefan had been trying to damnedest to resist the compulsion, but after Klaus had compelled him to turn off his emotions, he had been all too willing to feed on her. After he had fed a bit, Klaus ordered Stefan to take Elena to the hospital to get her blood drained, though not completely. He was happy that now he could at least count on one of his companions. "Elena's blood. Drink it."

"No! No, no, no, Tyler, don't!" Caroline pleaded, doing her best to wrestle out of Rebekah's grasp.

"If he doesn't feed, he'll die anyway, love," Klaus pointed out in annoyance as he glanced over at the blonde. He turned back to Tyler and held out the blood again, growing annoyed with the boy's reluctance. "Consider this an experiment. It's okay." Tyler looked over at his girlfriend, whose eyes pleaded with him to resist, but one look back at the blood and his eyes darkened in thirst. Finally, he grabbed the vial and downed it, causing Klaus to grin in satisfaction. "There we go. Good boy."

Tyler coughed, rolled over a nearby desk, and fell to the floor. He was screaming and groaning and writhing in pain. Klaus straightened up, recognizing the difference between this and his previous attempts at creating new hybrids. Tyler held his head and screamed, lifting his face up to where Klaus could see it. His face finally changed, with his eyes turning yellow and lined with veins, and fangs now popping out of his gums.

"Well,  _that's_  a good sign."

* * *

After talking with Tyler for a moment, and making it explicitly clear that the boy was not to leave town, Klaus and Rebekah headed out of the school to go to the hospital. Klaus anticipated Damon and Jenna showing up at any point to try to rescue, assuming Andy went to get them after her disappearance tonight. Klaus intended to track her down eventually and make her pay, but for now, he was okay with his other doppelganger supplying him with the only means to make his hybrids.

Upon their exit from the school, both paused in confusion at the sudden emptiness of the parking lot. The truck that they had driven in the previous morning—the very one that held their other family members—was gone.

"Stefan must have taken the truck to the hospital," Klaus said, though there was a pit forming in his stomach. With Stefan under his compulsion, the hybrid knew his family was in no danger, but it still made him uncomfortable to not know exactly where his family was.

"I have the keys, Nik," Rebekah said, holding up the keys to show him. Klaus clenched his jaw, looking around the parking lot in a panic.

"Who the bloody hell would have—" Klaus stopped himself, the image popping in his head of who exactly it could have been. He screamed in frustration and turned to punch the door, managing to put a dent in the metal.

"Surely no one could be so stupid. I'm sure—"

"I'll tell you exactly who would be this bloody stupid. Andrea bloody Gilbert," Klaus seethed, angry at himself for not heeding her threatening words more closely. He had thought she would just run off to her aunt or Damon for help against him, not that she would hotwire his truck and steal his family. Moreover, she had been in such a beaten state that he didn't think she would physically be able to do anything. After all, she had taken multiple hits to the head.

"We can get the witch to do a location spell," Rebekah pointed out, the anger evident in her tone. "I'm going to tear her head off when I next see her. I told you not to trust her and you did! Now she has our family and you don't exactly have an army of hybrids at your disposal."

"No. For now, we get to Elena. If we have anything on her, it will be her family."

* * *

"So the doppelgänger isn't the problem. Her blood is the solution," Rebekah stated as she got comfortable on the hood of a car.

"Seems so." Klaus huffed as he stood nearby, his gaze intensely fixated on the hospital as he listened for any signs of someone trying to enter the hospital. He had it on full lockdown, compelling security to ensure that Andrea Gilbert did not step a foot in the hospital. He wasn't certain what game she was playing at, but he despised it. He was furious at her for getting one up on him and was fearful of her plans with his family. He was not even close to being ready to reunite his family, and if she did stupid such as waking Elijah, he was  _seriously_  going to be screwed.

"How did you know?"

He sighed and glanced over at his sister. "Well, you know how much the original witch hated me. Do you honestly think I would do anything other than the opposite of what she says?"

Rebekah shook her head in disbelief. "A thousand years in the grave and she's still screwing with you,"

"Well, it makes sense if you think about it from her perspective. It was her fail-safe in case I ever broke the hybrid curse. The doppelgänger had to die in order for me to become a hybrid, but if she was dead..."

"Then you couldn't use her blood to sire yourself a new species," she finished.

"Leaving me alone for all time," he added with a wistful sigh. How convenient now that Andy had his family that he was about to gain another.

"Is that what this is about? Your obsession with hybrids? You just don't want to be alone?" Rebekah questioned, her brows furrowing as the realization hit her.

"What I want is to take my girl, take my hybrid the hell out of this one-pony town once we locate Andrea Gilbert and teach her another lesson," Klaus said, slight annoyance in his voice at his sister's words. "You know, why don't you, uh, why don't you get the truck? I'll get Elena and then we'll fetch Tyler."

Rebekah looked at him for a long moment before she hopped off the truck and disappeared. He sighed and turned to see a car approaching him. Klaus turned to it, trying to see who was in it but was unable because of the headlights. The car stopped just far enough ahead that he couldn't see, though he had a feeling who it was by the way their heartbeat sped up. He clenched his fists, prepared to give her hell.

The door of the car opened and out stepped Jenna, causing Klaus to momentarily falter. However, within a second he had pinned her against the car, a hand wrapped around her neck. "Where is my family?!" he yelled at her, squeezing his hand slightly tighter.

"Let go of her!" Alaric said as he rushed out of the passenger side of the car. He tried to move closer but Klaus used his free hand to push him to the ground, focusing on the vampire before him.

"I was going to ask you the same thing!" Jenna choked out, her bright eyes staring daggers at him. Klaus's brows furrowed and he loosened his grip on the woman.

"What do you mean?"

"Andy called me to say she was going to wake up Elijah, but abruptly hung up on me. By the time we got back into town, you guys had cleared out from the high school," Jenna explained, standing straighter as Klaus took another step back, his mind reeling at her words. "I heard someone else on the other side of the line but I couldn't make out the voice. The person told her to shut up and get in the car or they'd tell you what she was trying to do. Now she's not replying and we can't find her, though we did get the tip that you had my other niece holed up here."

Klaus turned on the balls of his feet and paced for a moment, wondering who possibly could have taken his family. Stefan had been sent to scout for Andy, but he was compelled and there was no way he would take Klaus's family after tonight. Katerina was a possibility, but even she couldn't be so stupid. By the way Jenna had described it, the person may have taken Andy by force, and had decided to take his family. But  _why_? He had no shortage of enemies, but there was no way someone would be  _this_  stupid.

Suddenly, Klaus was distracted by another person speeding over. He sighed and ran a hand down his face, tired of all the shit that had gone down tonight. "Well, look who finally decided to show up to the party," he commented as he turned to face the elder Salvatore.

"Where is she?" Damon demanded as he stopped by Jenna's side. Alaric had picked himself up off the ground and was standing behind the two vampires with a cautious look on his face.

"Elena? Ah, she's making a donation to a greater cause," Klaus replied, trying to think of what his next move should be. Now that he wasn't certain Andy had been the one to take his family, he couldn't exactly use Elena as leverage, although he could force the Bennett witch to locate Andy for him. As Klaus was trying to think of what to do next, Jenna made the move to go inside, but Klaus was quick to cut him off, sending her and Damon a pointed look. "I'm afraid I can't let you interfere, mate."

"You'll have to kill me," Damon snapped at him.

Klaus rolled his eyes. "Oh, I would love to kill you, but I made a pledge to your brother, and unlike him, I keep my word. Although, you know what, thinking about it now, he probably doesn't care that much anymore," He pushed Damon against the hood of a car, prepared to kill him. This night had been full of enough surprises.

"Don't you want to know about your friend Mikael?"

Klaus froze, his blue eyes focusing on Damon. How had he known about Mikael? Did Andy indulge the details to him? She was adamant about not telling Stefan about Mikael, but had she somehow taken vervain before he realized and told the others? "What do you know about Mikael?" he questioned, his grip tightening at the sound of his name.

"Just that he knows you're here," Damon replied, and Klaus had to admit even he wouldn't be as convinced if not for the shit-eating look Damon had on his face.

"You're  _bluffing_."

Damon continued grinning up at him. "Katherine and I found him. Consider it our leverage," the Salvatore taunted back.

Klaus threw him at the other two before he sped off, switching on a flight mode. Mikael couldn't find him, not now when all his daggers laid with whoever had taken his family and Andy. He needed to get as far away from Mystic Falls as he could and then find Andy and his family, even if that meant leaving his sister behind for a while. She wasn't the one their father was after anyway.

_**~ * • ° • ° • * ~** _


	25. Changeling

**_Poison & Wine ~ Chapter XXV_ **

**_~ * • ° • ° • * ~_ **

“So, are you going to tell me what exactly your plan was? Or do we really have to wait another few days for that vervain to get out of your system,” Andy sat across the room from the woman who had taken her. Andy was seated on a motel bed, her legs crossed in front of her as the bleach blonde locked the motel door behind her. Andy watched the woman closely, trying to figure out what exactly she was here for, and who she could be. She was at least comforted that the woman she had seen in Chicago a couple days ago hadn’t been all in her head.

Was she Anastasia or Milena? Or perhaps someone else? Andy wasn’t sure how many doppelgangers were out there. The woman looked exactly like her, features and all except for her hair. She had a pixie haircut that was pale blonde color. She wore skinny jeans and a leather jacket. The woman looked older than Andy, or even Katherine. She appeared to be in her mid-to-late twenties, something that made her think that she wasn’t Milena. Klaus and Katherine seemed adamant that Milena had died anyway, so it _had_ to be someone else.

After the woman had interrupted her attempting to remove the dagger out of Elijah, she had Andy get in the car and sit in the shotgun silently as she drove further from Mystic Falls. They had continued driving in silence for well over twelve hours—they were somewhere in Missouri now—but when the sun had set they had finally found a motel that was out of the way so Andy could finally get the dried blood off of her.

Andy tried not to think about Mystic Falls or what had happened since she had been with this woman. Thinking of everything Klaus could have done while she was gone would give her too much stress. As predictable as Klaus was, he was also incredibly unpredictable at times.

They hadn’t spoken to one another the entire car ride, but Andy had watched the woman closely trying to figure out who she was, but there was no clue. The woman had given Andy her blood, saying that there was no way she didn’t have a concussion after all the damage her head had taken in the last day. Andy explained that vampire blood didn’t work on her, but the woman didn’t listen and still had her drink the blood offered in a plastic Dasani bottle. waited for the moment she threw up the blood, but it hadn’t happened yet even after twelve over. Still, that confirmed this woman was a vampire. This was the first time she had even spoken to Andy.

“Who are you?” Andy asked finally.

“Huh. That’s the first question you go with? I didn’t think it would be that important. Mainly thought it would be quite obvious,” The woman shook her head and turned to the bag of fast food. She picked it up and tossed it at Andy before she went to take a seat on the other bed. “Well, I’m not Anastasia, at least not technically. As far as I know, you’re the only other living doppelganger from our line. Unless Anastasia wants to surprise us, then it’s just you and I.”

“You could’ve just said you are Milena,” Andy replied with a roll of her eyes as she opened the bag and started eating the fries out of the bag. She looked Milena over, trying to figure out how exactly how she survived. Katherine had claimed Klaus killed her sister, something that Klaus hadn’t refuted. Andy knew she was a vampire, but she was stuck with her and she didn’t know what exactly Milena wanted.

“You’re wondering how I’m alive,” Milena commented, catching her gaze. Andy gave a half-hearted shrug as she continued eating her food. “It wasn’t Elijah if that’s what you were thinking. Back then I wouldn’t have willingly drunk vampire blood. Klaus killed me, but something else brought me back as a human.”

“What?” Andy asked, her brows furrowing. Bonnie had claimed she brought Jeremy back from the dead as well, had a witch brought Milena back? Andy stilled for a moment as she thought about the fact Bonnie had said she brought Jeremy back. It wasn’t something she questioned the witch about yesterday, but she realized more must have happened in her absence than she realized.

“This might answer some things. Not really without an explanation, but still,” Milena stood and walked over to her bag. She dug around in it for a moment before pulling out the dagger Isobel had given Andy months ago. Andy stood to her feet and crossed the room, an unhappy look on her face.

“Where did you get this?” Andy demanded from her as she took the dagger from her. Milena didn’t try to hold onto it and let go of it immediately. She walked around Andy and went to plop back down on the bed. She relaxed back into the pillows and closed her eyes as she began speaking.

“Where you left it. Isobel’s old house was claimed by the bank, so I grabbed up all her stuff for you. Damon seemed to forget that you asked him to get that little knife. Too busy keeping your sweet little sister company as she searched for you and Stefan,” Milena said as she settled back into the pillows. “You might want to get some rest. I know you want answers, but we need to get moving as soon as possible. Klaus will be on our tails in no time, so we can only stay for a few hours. I know I need at least two hours of sleep to drive the rest of the way.”

“Milena, I can’t go any further without knowing… my sister—” Andy began but Milena cut her off.

“I have someone keeping an eye on the situation there. I know she’s safe and still in town. Klaus left Mystic Falls so he’s probably going to find a witch to do a location spell on us. The rest of your friends and family are safe, but Tyler _is_ a hybrid now. Apparently, Elena’s blood is the secret for a transitioning hybrid. So you can relax because there’s nothing you can do for them right now,” Milena said, a note of frustration entering her voice. Her eyes were still closed but her expression was blank.

Andy sighed, silently hoping that she could trust Milena. She hadn’t done anything that would indicate she couldn’t, but she _was_ Katherine’s sister and a vampire. Andy knew that Jenna was probably freaking out right now and hoped she wouldn’t try anything to find her. Klaus was more than likely angry with her. This whole situation was a shit show and Andy wished that she had just removed the dagger from Elijah’s chest when she had the chance. She shouldn’t have hesitated.

“Klaus probably thinks _I_ kidnapped his family…” Andy pointed out as she went to sit back down on the bed, twirling the dagger around in her hand again.

“Your plan wasn’t just waking Elijah, wasn’t it? Elijah might have stopped the killing that night, but _no one_ controls Klaus. The smarter plan would be to wake up Elijah, leave him behind, and take their family so he would leave yours alone,” Milena stated, turning her head to look over at Andy. “Anyways, I interfered when I did so Klaus wouldn’t think you kidnapped them. Now he’ll think you were kidnapped by someone who also his family. And we finally get a moment to speak, something that is long overdue. You should be safe from his wrath. I’m just glad I got there before you woke Elijah. That wouldn’t have helped _any_ of us.”

Andy’s brows furrowed as she raised her head. Now she was warier of this woman than she had previously been. “Why would you do that for me?” she questioned as she narrowed her eyes.

“Klaus took everything away from me. If you’re not careful, he’ll do the same to you, though it’s not like he hasn’t started the same process with you,” Milena answered, her voice low as she now turned her head from Andy. “I’m not like my sister, Andy. Not all vampires are assholes. Sometimes we like to help someone about to screw up their lives. Well, arguably you did that when you made the deal to save Jenna’s life. Still, I’m impressed you didn’t take a page from my sister’s book and hightail it the moment you were given a chance. You had a lot of chances to escape during the summer.”

“Katherine doesn’t know you’re alive, does she?” Andy asked as she sat the dagger on the nightstand. Milena finally opened her eyes and looked over at Andy with an unamused look. Milena was certainly a vampire, but what did she mean by vampire blood wasn’t what brought her back? And why hadn’t she told Katherine she had survived?

“No, she doesn’t and I hope it can stay that way. Can I get some sleep, or do you want to wreck on the road?” Milena asked as she turned her back toward Andy. Andy watched her back for a moment in silence, a little stunned at hearing how similar they both had sounded. Milena’s voice was slightly scratchier, but she had strangely sounded like Andy at that moment. Was this how Elena felt around Katherine? Andy hated feeling like she wasn’t the only version of herself out there.

“Goodnight, Milena,” Andy said finally as she settled on the bed and continued eating her fries. She heard a quiet goodnight in return, but she knew she would be getting no sleep no matter how exhausted she felt now.

Klaus was after them, her sister’s blood was the secret to making hybrids, and now Andy was locked in a room with a vampire she knew nothing about. If anything, Andy wanted to stay awake to make sure she wasn’t going to end up on the other side of that dagger or Milena’s fangs. After she was done eating, she turned off the lights and grabbed the dagger, holding it close to her chest as she stared in the direction of Milena and the door, waiting for anything to happen.

* * *

Klaus stood in the empty motel room, his mouth forming a thin line. After the last twenty hours, he should be on the other side of the country and far away from Damon Salvatore’s threats. Instead, he was chasing after his family and a missing doppelganger in Missouri, a few states away from a man he had run a thousand years from.

After he had hightailed it out of town and driving nonstop for hours, Klaus had finally stopped in Pennsylvania, where he gathered his thoughts and tried to figure out what his plan should be. He had left Elena, Tyler, Stefan, and Rebekah back in Mystic Falls. A part of him felt slightly terrible about leaving his sister on her own in that place, but should Mikael show up, he wouldn’t hurt his daughter. She wasn’t really the one he really wanted anyway. Besides, Klaus needed someone other than Stefan to keep an eye on his first hybrid to make sure he was adjusting to his new life correctly.

Once he made it back to Illinois, Klaus had searched for a few hours to track down a witch. He knew a couple in the area, though he didn’t trust them entirely with this situation. Still, he knew he didn’t have many options to locate Andy. He took a small vial of Elena’s blood and some of his own for a tracking spell and went to get help from someone who he knew would have no knowledge about him or his family.

_As Klaus waited on the doorstep, he surveyed the area. It was a bustling college residence hall and he had come to retrieve Maddox’s younger sister. He knew she was a witch and hoped that she was as strong as he had been. He hadn’t thought about Maddox for some time, but now he realized how much he missed having a witch always on hand. If he had been brave, he would have just stayed in Mystic Falls a little longer and had the Bennett witch do the spell._

_The door opened to a young girl with short chestnut brown hair and bright blue eyes that were unmistakably just like Maddox’s. She had puffy cheeks and thin eyebrows to match the thin lips. Much like Maddox, she had a strong jaw and nose. She was much shorter than Klaus and looked at him with a confused look._

_“Can I help you?”_

_“For your sake, let’s hope so.”_

“She’s not here. Can we go now?” The shriek alerted him to the girl’s presence in the doorway of the room. “I’ve got really important things to do that doesn’t involve a road trip across the country.”

“Like what? Fighting fictional lizards and saving damsels?” Klaus stated in an annoyed tone as he walked around the room, trying to find anything to indicate that they had stayed here. The clerk at the desk had been compelled to forget all about whoever had stayed, but the last tracking spell they had done led here. The dots on both maps using his blood and Elena’s blood had stopped in the general area of this motel. Olivia wasn’t the most powerful witch and her spells seemed to only be able to lead to a general area instead of an exact location. They had just been randomly jumping around looking for evidence until now.

“Maybe you can’t appreciate storytelling, but Dungeons and Dragons happens to be—”

“Olivia, if you don’t shut up, I’ll rip your arms off and find a new witch who won’t be nearly as chatty as you are,” Klaus said as he turned to throw a warning look her way. She sighed, folding her arms over her chest and averting her gaze from his. He turned away and tried to think who exactly would be stupid enough to kidnap not only his family but Andy, a doppelganger that had been running with him for months. They apparently didn’t know him well enough. He had every intention of killing them the moment he found them. The only way he would grant a few moments of life would be if they hadn’t removed the daggers from his entire family so they could explain exactly what their goal was. Unleashing his relatives now would be hell, especially with Mikael on the loose.

“Shouldn’t I just do another tracking spell? So far, they seem to have followed a generally straight line anyway,” Olivia said after a moment of silence. Klaus waved her off and she quickly went back out to the car for the supplies. She had been surprisingly willing to follow him, though he suspected it was more out of fear than anything. When she inquired about her brother and was told his fate, she didn’t seem too upset about it. Evidently, the siblings hadn’t been close.

When Olivia returned, she didn’t waste time in laying out a new map and uncapping a small vial of Elena’s blood. Klaus hated using the doppelganger’s blood for this instead of a hybrid when he wasn’t sure the next time he would be able to get more would be, but he also wanted his family back. If it meant sacrificing some of his blood and the doppelganger’s blood to make sure Andy and his family were together, then so be it. So far they hadn’t been separated.

“I need some more of your blood,” Klaus turned to the witch, noticing she had already located Andy. She moved the map to the side and laid out another. He approached and picked up the pocket knife, not hesitating to cut his palm open. “That person is in Kansas, not too far ahead. I’d say they left no more than five hours ago from here.”

“Just hurry,” Klaus said as he finished pouring a little blood onto the map. She rolled her eyes but started chanting. He stood by impatiently, watching as the blood slowly started to move and landed in the same general area as Andy’s had.

“Looks like whoever they are, they’re together,” Olivia said as she looked up. “They’re clearly heading out west. Can I go back to school? It’s my freshman year of college and I—”

“As soon as I find my family and my doppelganger, you may go play your little game,” Klaus interrupted, turning to leave the room. If they were going to catch up to them, they needed to leave now. They had already wasted enough time.

“ _Doppelganger_?” Olivia’s curious tone caused him to pause. He didn’t like how interested she suddenly seemed in what they were looking for. He had evaded all her questions and hadn’t even told her his name, just that he had known her brother and needed her help. She had seemed reluctant to go with him, but it seemed to be more because she had been busy with some social event with friends rather than having personal gripes with him. He glanced over his shoulder at her before shaking his head. He didn’t trust her one bit, but he didn’t have many choices at this point.

“If you’re not in the car within the next five seconds, you’ll meet a similar fate to your brother. I can promise it won’t be as quick.”

* * *

Andy was once again sat in the shotgun as they drove down the road, heading further west than she was comfortable with. However, if it meant that there was more distance between them and Klaus, Andy wasn’t going to complain. After everything Klaus had done, a break from him was welcomed, though her thoughts strayed to those she had left high and dry in Mystic Falls.

“Before we get into any explanations on how the hell you’re alive, I think we need to establish what exactly we’re doing here,” Andy said, turning to look at Milena.

“What, you don’t want to live the rest of your human life dragging Klaus’s family around in coffins as we evade him? We could be Thelma and Louise,” Milena replied in a flat tone.

Andy snorted and shook her head. “Wow, is this really how I sound to other people?” she questioned aloud before she tried getting the conversation back on track. “Listen, as much as I want my family to be safe, I also don’t want to be carrying around a load of originals, most of who I don’t even know. I don’t even wanna think of how many people would kill us to get to them.”

“Why didn’t you remove the dagger from Elijah then? Would’ve been one less original to deal with. Hell, he would have just removed the daggers from all his family. Probably would have gotten Klaus out of your hair permanently as he dealt with family drama,” Milena said, throwing a sidelong glance her way. “Though you would’ve had his siblings to deal with. That wouldn’t have been much fun, trust me. I had firsthand experience.”

“You haven’t taken that dagger out of Elijah yet either,” Andy shot back, watching the blonde’s reaction closely. Her hands slightly tightened on the steering wheel and she clenched her jaw. “Milena, seriously. I’m not trying to piss you off, but we do need to come up with some sort of plan. Klaus is at our heels and if he finds us, he’ll kill you. _Again_. I’m sure he’s thinking of some way he can torture me.”

“I told you already, Andy. If he somehow catches up with us before we get to our destination, then you are to act like I kidnapped you. That should get some of the flack off you. I can assure you I won’t be sticking around long enough for him to find me,” Milena was still tense and kept her gaze forward. Andy wondered what exactly had occurred between her and Klaus that would cause her to always react like this when he was mentioned. Milena had confirmed Klaus killed her, and maybe that was enough for her hatred of him, but there seemed to be a much deeper resentment in her. Andy remembered that Katherine told her and Elena that Klaus had slaughtered their entire family in revenge, perhaps that was another cause for her hatred.

Andy looked at her with wide eyes. “So you’re just going to leave me with the originals?”

“Eventually, yes, but it’s not like they won’t be daggered. Klaus should be able to find you easily enough with a tracking spell,” Milena explained nonchalantly. “The only reason I finally stepped in because I knew you were being stupid in trying to wake Elijah.”

“ _Elijah_ would have helped me save my sister.”

“He was supposed to help me save mine as well,” Milena reminded, turning her head to give Andy a pointed look. Sighing, the blonde turned her head back to focus on the road. “Listen, don’t get me wrong, Elijah can be a good man when he wants to be, but you don’t know him or his family. They’ll do anything to protect their own, anyone else associated with them is damned in the process. His priority wouldn’t have been making up for breaking his word to you, it would’ve been to yank those daggers out of his family and kick Klaus’s ass.”

Andy was quiet for a few moments as she soaked in Milena’s words. She wondered how many lives had been destroyed by the originals. Klaus had taken and destroyed so many lives on his own, she could only imagine the entire family doing the same. “I’m sorry for what they did to you, Milena.”

“It’s not just me. It’s you. Anastasia. _Us_. We—we’ve always been some kind of plaything for them because what we are,” Milena said, bitterness seeping into her tone. “I told my sister that we needed to leave England as soon as I met Klaus. I just—I _knew_ as soon as I saw him in person for the first time. I had dreams leading up to it—”

“Wait, dreams? You have them too?” Andy interrupted as she turned her body to face her completely. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I was going to get to it, once we established where we were going,” Milena answered haughtily. Andy pursed her lips but waited for the doppelganger to continue. Sighing, the Petrova continued speaking. “My dreams probably weren’t much different from yours. They stopped after Klaus killed me—I don’t know why they started or why they stopped suddenly. But first, he was just appeared in them, trying to kill me and Katerina. Then it eventually turned to memories of Anastasia’s, most of them about their family.”

“Why didn’t you tell anyone?”

“Because I’m not stupid. How did Klaus react when you told him?” At Andy’s silence, Milena rolled her eyes. “Forget I asked. I forgot that for some reason you have a connection with him. He probably drooled over you. Does it make you sick when you look at him and see a _comrade_?”

“We don’t have a connection. I owed a debt to him,” Andy mumbled as she gazed out the window with a frown on her face.

“And then you kept on making more deals with him. Funny how those involved being his friend. Klaus never could make friends without a deal or compulsion.”

“Just how long exactly have you been watching me? There’s a lot you know that I didn’t tell you. When I saw you in Chicago was the first and only time,” Andy turned her head back to look at Milena.

“I found you long before anyone else did. After I was turned, it took me a few decades, but I eventually located where Katerina’s child had been sent. The child was missing, but the Petrova line was intact. After a few centuries of keeping a watch on the bloodline, you and your sister finally came along. Then it was a waiting game to see if you would be discovered by others,” Milena answered, then threw her a sympathetic look. “I did my best to prevent Klaus from finding you, but I underestimated Isobel. She recognized the information I gave her was fake and quickly located Klaus on her own before I could stop her.”

Andy’s eyebrows shot up. “You knew my mother?”

“Barely. We never dealt in person. She was too friendly with my sister,” Milena replied, her tone wavering slightly. Andy looked Milena over but her expression gave nothing away on what she was feeling. “By the time I got told by my source that Elijah had found out about you, it was too late. I was busy with some other business, but I shouldn’t have taken my eye off of you. I guess I should have known Rose and Trevor would have tried something to save themselves. I still don’t know how they found out about you and your sister.”

“Why didn’t you help us with Klaus?” Andy asked, her tone curious rather than angry.

“Klaus thinks I’m dead. I wanted to leave it that way,” Milena simply said, her words borderline threatening. “Would still like to leave it that way if possible, but I doubt it. I’m sure he’ll hunt me harder than my sister. He always had it out for me from the moment he saw me.”

“How did you survive what he did to you?” Milena shifted uncomfortably, and her eyes darted down to the dagger. Andy picked it up and ran her fingers over it. “How is this connected to it?”

“When I woke up, I was no longer in Klaus’s estate. I was in some shack or hut. A witch had brought me back. She said I had more work to do and gave me that dagger,” Milena’s knuckles had become white from how hard she was gripping the steering wheel. It was a wonder she hadn’t snapped the wheel yet. “Then I passed out again and woke up in an estate back in England, but it wasn’t Klaus’s home, but the people there gave me shelter while I sorted things out. I spent years looking for answers… for my sister. When I earned enough money to return to my homeland, I came back to my family slaughtered years before. I knew who had done it. Who else would have? After everything I did to make sure my sister survived, Klaus _still_ won.”

Andy swallowed nervously and looked down at the dagger with a gloomy expression. “I’m sorry, Milena.”

“I decided then that I would become a vampire, and so after years of more searching, I found someone willing to turn me. Of course, I didn’t know my sister had also been turned into a vampire until that mess with the Salvatores back in the eighteen-hundreds. I didn’t even know if she had survived her escape from Klaus until then. Gathering information about the original family was even harder back then,” Milena said, her voice lowering as she loosened her grip on the wheel. “Though there were a lot of stories, especially out of New Orleans when they were there together.”

Andy looked back up at Milena. “Did you know the witch you saw?”

“No, but she was older. Dark hair, her voice… well, I still think I hear it sometimes. It isn’t something you forget,” Milena visibly shivered and did her best to shake it off. “I don’t even know if it was real or a dream, but considering I woke up human, I’m going to assume it was real. After all Klaus… well, let’s just say he killed me in a way I wouldn’t have been able to survive on my own.”

“How do you know that woman was a witch then?”

Milena seemed momentarily caught off guard. She cleared her throat and avoided Andy’s gaze. “What else could have brought me back? She looked like a witch.”

“I think that’s a generalization. Don’t know if people appreciate that,” Andy pointed out, causing Milena to roll her eyes. Andy regarded her skeptically, feeling like Milena wasn’t telling her everything about this witch.

“Are you hungry? There’s a Burger King coming up.”

* * *

“I’ve never actually met a doppelganger myself,” Olivia said as they sped down the highway. Klaus had kept the radio on at a volume where he thought the witch wouldn’t even bother to hold a conversation. That was how it had been up until she learned who they were looking for, and now he couldn’t get her to shut up no matter how loud the music was turned up. “I’ve read a lot about them. Well, not that any of it is necessarily real. They’re so fascinating in concept, especially when you consider there could be multiple alive at once. I wonder if the whole thing of seeing one means your death is real. If so, that must suck—”

“Olivia, is there any particular reason I should care about anything you’re saying?” he questioned in annoyance.

“Considering how big of a nerd I am when it comes to all things supernatural? Yeah, I think you really should,” she stated matter-of-factly, turning her neck to look at him. He remained quiet, curious to hear her elaborate. Sighing, she continued. “When I learned I was a witch, I became obsessed with this stuff, just to understand it, you know? I’m nowhere near as powerful as my brother—but I’m _much_ smarter, at least book-wise. I don’t know much about doppelgangers. They’re the one thing I haven’t met. Fortunately, Illinois had a little of everything. Do you think I could talk to this doppelganger? I have so many questions. Dammit, I should have brought my notebook.”

“As soon as I find her, you’re going home and getting out of my hair,” he shot back. At least he had a vague idea of why she had joined him—she must have thought it was good for research.

“Oh, come on. I’m helping you find her and your family. I didn’t ask for anything from you, okay? The least you can do is give me this. I’m not going to poke and prod her, I just have a few questions,” Olivia replied in a tone that indicated she was about to launch into a rant.

Klaus sighed and shook his head. “I highly doubt this doppelganger is going to even warmly receive me, let alone a stranger helping me. But if you can get her to talk after I get her to answer some of my own questions, feel free if she doesn’t tell you to screw off.”

Olivia regarded him silently for a moment. “What did you do to her?”

It was his turn to remain silent. He had done a lot of shit to Andy, but now the doppelganger didn’t know the full extent. He had not only allowed Stefan to drink from Elena but had compelled Stefan to turn off his humanity. The last time they had spoken, Andy had threatened him and made it abundantly clear whatever frail friendship that they once had was over. Truly, he understood where she was coming from. There had been lies between them and they both were definitely never going to trust one another again. He had been upset with her for hiding the fact Elena was alive from him, and a little part of him still was, but if he found her alive and well, then that was enough. He would send her back to Mystic Falls as soon as he could and then she would be out of his life. He wouldn’t bother her again, after all, he only needed Elena now.

But was that something he wanted? Or more importantly, could afford to do? Andy still had that connection to him and his family. It could easily be exploited by someone. Furthermore, Mikael was potentially back in play because of how big of an idiot Damon Salvatore was. Klaus remembered how Mikael had used Anastasia against him in the past and that had been before they were vampires; there was no way he wouldn’t take the chance to throw her in his face again. It wasn’t safe for her back in Mystic Falls, not if Mikael was around. He was going to have to bring her along again, whether she liked it or not.

“That bad, huh?” Olivia’s voice broke him out of his reverie and he sent a glare her way before focusing back on the road. “ _Oh_. You _like_ her, don’t you? For purely academic reasons, how do your emotions work? Do you—”

Klaus did his best to drown her out by turning the radio back up. She seemed to get the hint and quieted down, though he didn’t miss that she was still studying him closely. He was starting to dislike this witch even more. Next time he would make sure to choose a witch that wasn’t so nosey.

* * *

“How far west are we going exactly?” Andy asked as Milena climbed back into the truck. They had stopped for gas, with Milena insisting that they couldn’t afford to stop to rest anymore because Klaus was getting closer. Andy wasn’t sure how Milena seemed so certain of that, but she let it slide. They had gotten through most of Wyoming in the last fourteen hours and Andy hadn’t gotten many more answers.

“We’ll stop in Oregon. It’s on the other side of the country of Virginia so hopefully, it will give me some time to get the hell out of this country before Klaus finds you,” Milena explained as they pulled out of the parking lot.

“He’s going to be pissed. I get you made it look like you kidnapped me, but Klaus is _still_ angry at me for hiding that Elena is alive. Even if it benefitted him in the end, he hates me and on top of that, I threatened him last time I saw him. He won’t go easy on me,” Andy said, leaning her head on the window. “He’ll kill Jenna. Or Jeremy. Somebody to get back at me.”

Milena was quiet for a few moments. Andy felt her eyes on her, but the vampire didn’t say anything until she looked back at the road. “I don’t know if he’s stupid enough to go for them.”

Andy snorted, rolling her eyes. “Stupid enough? Milena, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m a human. I’m no vampire who can plot against him even if I did threaten him with the confidence of a thousand-year-old vampire.”

“I was going to wait to tell you this until we got closer to the end, but I think now is as good of a time as any,” Milena sighed as she gestured to the dagger that laid on the seat between them. “That dagger… that dagger is why you are alive today.”

“Oh, did I pop out of it like Athena from Zeus’s head?”

“You really like to test people, don’t you? You’re not a doppelganger, Andy,” Milena said, her tone serious as she glanced over at her.

“Huh. I must be looking in a mirror right now,” she replied dryly, turning to look at Milena with a frustrated expression.

“ _You’re_ a reincarnation. _I’m_ a reincarnation,” Milena continued, deciding it was best to ignore Andy’s comments. Andy’s brow furrowed as Milena spoke. “That dagger is what did the killing blow against Anastasia. And that dagger is the source of it all this mess.”

“Wait, what?” Andy turned her body completely toward Milena. “I don’t understand what you’re saying at all.”

“Your dreams, have they stopped?”

“Yes, but I haven’t died like you said you did.”

“Yours must have stopped because of the sacrifice. It severed something in the connection,” Milena looked pensive for a moment before she shook her head. “In my dreams, this is what I saw… Back when they were human, the originals had a little brother named Henrik. He was killed by a werewolf on a full moon when he and Klaus decided they wanted to go see the wolves transition,” Andy’s mouth dropped, but she listened to the story in silence. “When he died, the originals were turned into vampires by their mother using some ancient spell. Anastasia wasn’t turned because she was pregnant and was going to have the first and only born of the next generation. Long story short, she lost the child and shortly after committed suicide with this dagger. Something in this dagger held onto her soul, and that is how we are alive today.”

“What… what the hell, Milena?” Andy looked at the dagger, feeling a bit creeped out by it now. Anastasia had killed herself… no wonder Klaus and Elijah had been reluctant to speak of her. The pain must still be there after a thousand years. “How can this little thing control what we are?”

“This dagger has magic imbued with it. I don’t know if had magic in it when the originals were turned into vampires, but when Anastasia killed herself with it her soul was bound to it,” Milena looked hesitant and she glanced over at Andy. “Before I tell you this, I want to say that I am not my sister. I don’t want you to hate me for what I’m about to confess.”

Andy looked back wearily. “You can’t say that and expect me not to like what you’re going to say.”

“I _know_ you’re not going to like it,” Milena stated solemnly as she looked ahead at the road. “My sister was brought into the world first. She was a natural birth and came into the world without an issue. However, my mother was still in great pain. They said there was not another child in there, but she _insisted_ she felt one. Sure enough, when they cut her open, it was discovered there was another child in there. My mother survived, somehow. They cut her open with that very dagger. A random woman gave it to my mother as a gift for her firstborn child. My mother always said that the woman said there was going to be something wrong with the birth of her daughter unless she used that knife. They didn’t want to use the knife, but my mother was superstitious and insisted upon it once my sister was out of the womb.”

Andy knew where the story was going and felt like she was going to be sick. It was the same exact thing that her parents had always said to her. _We didn’t know it was twins until the last minute_ , her mom had said _, Elena was born naturally, you needed to be cut out. You didn’t want to leave. Stubborn from the start_. Now that Andy knew it was Isobel was her birth mother, it almost seemed unreal. Her mom had scars, but Jeremy had also been born via cesarean. The lie had been easy to cover up. Andy didn’t have a chance to confirm it, not since everyone who had been there the night of her birth was dead.

“How?” Andy demanded, clenching her fists. “ _How_ is this possible? And how can you be so sure my father used this when I was born?”

“I was there for your birth, Andy,” Andy stared at the blonde slack-jawed as she recounted the story. “Once Elena was born, your father insisted there wasn’t another baby in there. I believed him, after all, I am no doctor, but Isobel said there was. At that point, I remembered the story my mother had told me of my own birth. I _had_ to be sure. I had your father use the dagger to cut her open. I don’t know what effect it had, but when he used it, suddenly you were there. He was even shocked to find another baby in there. You were sitting there so quiet and still I was almost afraid you were dead.”

“Did you compel Isobel to give us up?” Andy asked, feeling a rushing of emotions through her but uncertain what exactly she should be feeling now. Milena had told Andy that she kept up with her descendants over the years. If she had thought Isobel unfit to be a mother, Andy didn’t doubt that she wouldn’t have hesitated to put her family somewhere where they could thrive.

“No, I did not. But I suggested to her that John Gilbert’s brother and his wife who desperately wanted children of their own would give the children a good life,” Milena answered, then hesitated as her gaze focused on the dagger again. “There _is_ something in that dagger. I had it for so long that I felt like I was starting to go crazy. I—I sometimes see that witch that brought me back to life and see that little hut... I think she’s connected to it all. Maybe she was the witch who gave my mother the dagger. She wants something from us, I think.”

“How do you know we’re a reincarnation of her? And how is it even possible that we’re both alive at the same time then?”

“Why else we would experience dreams when our sisters didn’t? Why would there be no trace of us in the womb until that dagger was used?”

“You can’t conclude that we didn’t exist before that dagger. Even if my dad was a doctor, he could’ve been mistaken. The only way to know is to check Isobel’s medical records. And how did it work out that Elena happened to be a doppelganger as well? She could’ve been just a regular human. You said yourself that Katherine and she were born first. There’s no way that dagger influences anything to do with the doppelgangers,” Andy pointed out, her words becoming rushed as she tried not to think too much about what Milena was asserting. “Perhaps maybe it could influence what soul the other kid would have, but there’s no way it’s possible a baby just appears out of nowhere.”

Milena was quiet again, and when she spoke it was in a whisper. “I’ve used the dagger on other pregnant women in the Petrova line. It only works when the necessary doppelganger is born. I theorize that something about the blood and magic of the doppelganger creates the only environment a reincarnation can be born. When Elena was conceived or maybe when she was born, it created you. There’s not a lot of information out there on doppelgangers and even less on reincarnations. I’m not the best researcher but this is the only explanation that makes sense. You and I—I don’t know _how_ we can both exist at the same time, but we _do_ , and a part of Anastasia’s soul is in us.”

“So, what? We’re like Horcruxes?” Andy asked. She didn’t understand how certain Milena could be about any of this, but this was something she _had_ dedicated her entire life to. Chances were her theory was correct, but it still didn’t explain _why_ Andy felt Klaus’s emotions or why she heard his thoughts. Then again, Harry Potter had been able to speak Parseltongue because a part of Voldemort was in him. Had there some magical connection between Anastasia and the originals?

“I suppose you could say that,” Milena sighed and shook her head. “I know it’s a lot to take in. I didn’t mean to dump it all on you, but we are running out of time. Klaus is only a few hours behind us, and he’s racing to us now.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because I _know_ him. Not only did I know him in my human life, but I had dreams of him for months while we unknowingly waited for the sacrifice to take place,” Milena replied then turned and narrowed her eyes at Andy. “Why do you sound scared? I already told you, he won’t hurt you as long as you stick to the story.”

“Maybe because you just admitted to stabbing a bunch of women freshly post-pregnancy with a knife just to see if I’d pop out?” Andy stated dryly as Milena threw her a pointed look. Andy shook her head and turned her body toward Milena. “Look, it’s gonna sound crazy—well, that would imply that _any_ of this has sounded sane—but when Klaus broke the hybrid curse, I think you’re right that it broke that dream connection. But I think it also kickstarted something else. When we tried to kill him, I felt his emotions. I _heard_ his thoughts. The same thing happened again when he transitioned into a wolf. Unless you’re going to tell me that you felt it too, I think something is seriously wrong.”

Milena looked shocked for the first time in their road trip. She looked down at the dagger and ahead at the road, her mouth thinning into a straight line. Andy waited for her to say something, to say anything, but got nothing out of the vampire. She sat there, white-knuckled and staring hard at the road ahead of her. Andy decided to give her some time with her thoughts, hoping she was coming up with another theory for this.

* * *

“What is your name?” Klaus sighed for the fifteenth time in the last five minutes. Ever since they started closing in on Andy and whoever took her in Idaho, Olivia was chattier than usual. Her questions had died down but had found a new life. Fortunately, it was more Olivia wanting to know who he was rather than how his body functioned.

“I don’t see why that is your business,” Klaus replied, glancing over at her with a warning look. The less she knew, the better. He could get Andy and his family, then send this witch back on her way to Philadelphia. She had said it herself, she wasn’t _that_ great of a witch. Her locator spell had only been accurate once back at that motel, and since then it was erratic and could barely form a straight line. If he had known of any other witch, he would have traded in. Alas, he was stuck with Olivia for a little longer.

“Well, I am helping you free of charge. I mean, I could’ve demanded anything from you. I feel like answering some harmless questions isn’t that big of a deal,” Olivia said with a slight shrug of her shoulders. “I know I’m just a means to an end for you, but studying supernatural creatures is kind of what I do—or want to do, at least. I’ve only met two other vampires in my life and they weren’t exactly friendly either. Anything you could tell me would be helpful to my research.”

“Why do you study the supernatural?”

“I told you, I’m not that great at being a witch. Besides, we’ve established I’m a nerd. The fact I exist in the same universe as vampires, witches, and werewolves? I hit the jackpot. Not everyone is that lucky,” Olivia said with a smile. “I don’t have any intentions of exposing anyone if that’s what you’re afraid of. There’s no point to expose something I have no proof of. Besides, it’s much more interesting to keep this to myself. Better than getting burned at the stake, at least.”

Klaus looked her over closely, wondering how exactly she was related to Maddox. He had been a stoic man and didn’t really care for any kind of small talk. Maddox had been a talented witch, whereas Olivia wasn’t as prolific with her magic. However, she did seem to enjoy learning about other supernatural species and she had been willingly helping him. What was the harm in answering some of her questions? It wasn’t as if he would ever see her past today.

“My name is Klaus,” he answered after another moment of silence. He paused and looked her over silently, trying to see if she recognized the name but she didn’t seem to. He cleared his throat and continued speaking. “I’m not entirely vampire. I’m a hybrid. Little bit of vampire, little bit of werewolf.”

Olivia’s eyes widened as she turned to face him completely. “I need you to tell me _everything_.”

* * *

“Why are we stopping here?”  Andy asked as they pulled into an abandoned parking lot. It was overgrown and most of the pavement was cracked and uneven. There weren’t any lights out here and it was completely empty.

“Because this is where I leave,” Milena said as she climbed out of the car and closed the door. Andy quickly unbuckled and followed suit, running to catch Milena before she just left her in the middle of nowhere. Milena looked tired as Andy sped to a stop in front of her. “I have to go, Andy. I can’t be here when Klaus shows up.”

“We aren’t even in Oregon yet! We have like thirty minutes to go,” Andy argued, feeling a fear she hadn’t felt in some time begin to consume her. When Klaus got here, he wasn’t going to be happy. For all her confidence when she had threatened him before, she wasn’t ready to face him or his wrath.

“You don’t need my help. You need to beg Klaus’s forgiveness and hope he doesn’t kill you,” Milena replied sharply. It wasn’t as if Milena was nice before, but now she seemed even colder and distant.

“What? You want me to grovel to _him_? After everything he’s done to us?” Andy demanded angrily. Why was Milena suddenly backing out _now_? Was it because she had been told of Andy experiencing Klaus’s thoughts and feelings in real time? Why had that spooked her out?

“You hold a piece of Anastasia in you. If anything, he’ll grovel to you,” Milena walked passed her, but Andy quickly grabbed her wrist. She turned to look at Andy annoyed but didn’t yank away.

“Klaus is never going to let Elena live a normal life if her blood is the solution to his hybrids. I can’t just give him his family back,” Andy said, desperation clear in her voice. “Take me with you. We can run with his family. You said it yourself, we can be Thelma and Louise. We’ll outrun him like Katherine did for all those years. We can hold onto his family as long as it takes to free my sister and to free you. You’ve hidden for so long, aren’t you tired?”

“I have given up so much for family, theirs and my own. Klaus thought I was dead. I didn’t have to run anywhere. And I won’t run for eternity, not from Klaus,” Milena shot back. Andy swallowed and nodded, knowing it was a heavy request. She turned away from Milena and turned back to the truck with the intention of driving herself even if she hadn’t slept in well over twenty-four hours. As long as she could get further away from Klaus, she would figure a way to rest. She just needed to run, far away from Klaus. “What are you doing?”

“I’m taking a page out of your sister’s handbook and I’m going to run for the next few years and hope Klaus doesn’t catch up and kill me,” Andy replied as she opened the truck door. She paused and looked back at Milena. “I can’t trust Elijah at this point not to wake his family up. I trust them even less than I do Klaus. My only option at this point is to hope I can outrun him long enough for Elena to get away from him safely. I’ll figure it out.”

“My sister has an unrelenting desire to survive, and she’s a vampire. You are a human with no funds. You won’t make it more than a day before he catches up,” Milena pointed out as Andy turned her back.

“What other option do I have, Milena?!” Andy yelled as she turned to face the vampire. “I don’t know why you don’t want to save Katherine, but my sister still means something to me. It might be too late for us to have a normal life, but if I can save her from having her blood harvested every time Klaus needs a new batch of hybrids then I’m going to. You can join me, and we can try to save your sister as well, or you can leave before Klaus gets here.”

Andy turned away and went to climb in the front when she was suddenly yanked back. She turned and looked at Milena in confusion, but the woman had a somber look on her face. “I’m sorry, Andy. This is for your own good.” Milena turned her around and pressed her back against her chest. Milena put Andy in a headlock and started squeezing tightly. No matter how much Andy struggled, she was unable to get out of Milena’s grip and slowly felt herself slipping away.

* * *

 

“They seem to be stopped,” Olivia said as she climbed back into the car with a map. Klaus looked at the paper to see the blood had pooled into a single place just outside of Ontario, Idaho. He started the car up and headed in that direction. It was no more than thirty minutes away from their current location. “I can’t believe you’re able to make more hybrids. It’s an exciting prospect.”

Klaus snorted and rolled his eyes. “Well, at least someone thinks so.”

“What? No one you know is a fan of this idea?” Olivia questioned, turning her head to the side as she looked at him.

“Hardly. My siblings were only willing to help because it was something I wanted. Otherwise, I have found no support for my creations,” Klaus explained with a wistful sigh. “I hated to leave my first successful one behind, but I had more pressing issues. And Oregon is a popular location for werewolves. I already know of one pack in the region and have people working on another. Soon, there will be many other hybrids walking around and I will no longer be the only hybrid in existence. Well, I’m not the only one anymore.”

“Do you think I could talk to your first hybrid?” Olivia questioned innocently. Klaus looked over at her with an uncertain look, but she spoke again before he could. “I’m not going to do anything, I swear. I just am curious how it feels. Everyone I’ve ever interviewed has so many different reactions to be a vampire or a werewolf. Sure, all of their emotions tend to be amplified, but no experience is the same. Recording the first hybrid that wasn’t created via… however you exactly broke that curse, _is_ important. Don’t you want this moment, your creation, to live forever in memory and the records?”

“You do know how to sweet talk, don’t you?” Klaus replied, raising his eyebrows in her directions. Olivia had already cracked him open enough to explain what he was and that he had been able to start a new supernatural race on his own.

“I credit my mom with that. She was a bit of a socialite,” Olivia said with a shrug.

“My hybrid is nowhere near Philadelphia. You said yourself you are desperate for your education,” Klaus pointed out to her with a pointed look. “And there is no reason for us to see one another after today. As curious as you may be about my doppelgangers and hybrids, I will not hesitate to kill you if I see you again. For your own good, I recommend you stay as far away from me for the rest of your dungeon filled life.”

“You said doppelgangers… You know two?” Olivia asked with wide eyes. Klaus sighed, rolling his eyes at her. It seemed as if the witch only listened to what she deemed was important.

“I believe our conversation is now over. Hopefully, your research has gained something.”

* * *

_"Child…” Andy blinked a few times as her vision came to again. Once again, there was red all around her painting the walls of the hut she was in. She heard screams from outside the hut, slowly getting louder. Now, however, there was a woman standing in the room with her, but she was a blur. Andy couldn’t make her face out, but she saw a large mess of black hair._

_“Who are you? Where am I?” Andy asked though the screams were beginning to become deafening._

_“You must help Niklaus. He needs you,” The woman took a step closer and flickered out of existence for a moment. The voice was deep and gravelly. The very sound of it sent a chill down Andy’s spine. “You must help him.”_

_“Help him? What do you mean?” Andy leaned forward but she couldn’t move her feet again. “Who are you?”_

_When the woman opened her mouth again, all Andy heard was the screams. Then she felt the hands grabbing at her again and heard her own scream._

Waking up, Andy found herself in a dark room. She felt the sensation of hands all over her still and began to panic, thinking she was still in that hut. However, it was quiet all around her. She groaned and reached for her head, the sore feeling not helping her headache. Her breathing was low and labored, and the room felt stuffy and hot. She sat up and waited for her eyes to adjust to the dark. Slowly it happened, and she could make out boxes around her. She put her arms out and felt a metal stand. Reaching her hand further up to find something to help her stand, she paused when she felt something that was smooth and wooden.

_Coffin_. Andy inhaled sharply at the surface. She was in the back of the truck. Finally pulling herself up to her feet, Andy stumbled a bit as she made her way over to the door, hoping she wouldn’t run into anything. When she tried to open the door, she found it was locked from the outside. No matter how many times she tried to yank it open, she couldn’t. Milena had trapped her in the back.

But _why_? Why would Milena want her to get back to Klaus so easily? All her talk of wanting not to be associated with him anymore and then she locked the other reincarnation of herself in the back of the truck to hand her right back over. She didn’t even seem to want revenge on Klaus for everything he had done to her. Why did she just hand Andy right back over to him without giving her a choice in the matter? Moreover, who was that woman in that dream telling her to help Klaus? That was the second time Andy had seen the hut and was convinced that it wasn’t just her imagination at this point.

Andy collapsed on the ground, feeling as if her breathing wasn’t quite right. Why was this truck sealed tightly? She could have sworn it wasn’t like this before, but now she felt like she was about to suffocate… Her eyes opened as she desperately glanced around. She couldn’t die _here_ , not while Klaus was still out there and potentially harming her family. She had to get out, but she wasn’t strong enough. There _were_ people in here who were stronger.

Andy pulled herself to her feet and walked to where she remembered Elijah’s coffin had been, groaning at the ringing sound ringing in her ears. When she thought she found the right one, she made certain to feel for the cut on the side of the coffin. It wasn’t there, and she spent the next few minutes wandering around the room trying to find Elijah’s coffin. When she finally found it, she breathed a sigh of relief, thinking maybe she wouldn’t die.

Just as she went to pull the dagger out, she heard movement outside. She didn’t know where Milena had left her, so she quickly moved to hide behind the coffins. Someone broke what sounded like a lock on the door, causing Andy to flinch. She had a pretty good feeling she knew who it was and was completely unprepared for this moment.

The door of the truck flew open and sure enough, Klaus stood there in all his glory, the light behind him pouring into the back. He breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the coffins and his gaze locked onto Andy’s as she stood, knowing she couldn’t hide in here. They stared at one another for a long moment before Andy felt her knees go weak beneath her as her vision went blurry. Just as she went to fall to the ground, he sped over and caught her.

“You’re safe, love,” Klaus said, and she was acutely aware of his hands on her. The same hands who had killed so many before.

“I think I’m going to throw up,” she replied, feeling the bile rising in her stomach. Before she could protest, he picked her up and carried her to sit on the edge of the truck. Once she was sitting, he jumped off the back and came to stand in front of her, looking somewhat concerned as she leaned her head down and tried not to vomit. He hadn’t killed her yet, something she was taking as a good sign.

“What happened?” he asked, his voice low. “Who did this to you?”

Andy swallowed, uncertain what she should say. Milena didn’t tell her _not_ to tell Klaus that she was alive, and after what she did, Andy was inclined to believe Milena expected her to tell Klaus what really happened. Klaus didn’t even seem angry with her, making Andy wonder how he ended up believing that she was kidnapped.

“Do you want the truth? You won’t like it,” Andy said as she lifted her head to look at him. His gaze bored into the back of the truck. “Go check on them. I know you want to.”

Klaus didn’t even hesitate to climb back in to go check the coffin. Andy climbed down and went to lean on the side of the truck, wanting to give him some privacy. She didn’t miss the fact that he had checked on her before checking that his family was in their coffins, making her wonder if he had expected them to be there. She leaned back and looked up at the yellow sky. It was dawn, meaning she had been out for over five hours. Klaus had just now found his family, so he must have been further behind them than Milena believed.

“You look like you could use a drink,” Andy straightened at the voice. She turned her head to see a short woman standing there with short auburn hair. Her dark eyes shined back at Andy, and her lips curled into a nervous smile. She wore a pair of jeans and a t-shirt with a skull and crossbones with the words “GOONIES NEVER SAY DIE” written across it.

“Um, have we met?” Andy asked, suddenly feeling self-conscious as she stood there. She also had a nauseous feeling still and didn’t want to vomit over this pretty woman who had just walked up.

“Not quite, but I did just track you for the last couple of days,” The woman walked closer and held out her hand. “That… totally didn’t sound creepy at all. The name’s Olivia Harlow. You must be the doppelganger I’ve heard so much about.”

Andy opened her mouth in slight confusion, not certain what she wanted to say. Fortunately, Klaus saved her from finding a response. When Klaus walked around the corner, he was glancing around the abandoned parking lot. “Well, I see you’ve gotten more miles in your resume. Feeling a bit worldlier now?” he questioned, a playful look on his face as he turned to face Andy.

“I was trying to wake Elijah to save Elena,” Andy blurted out, not wanting to hold it in any longer. She didn’t know why Milena wanted her to act like she had been kidnapped, but there was no way she was trusting Milena now. Everything she had said about reincarnations was probably a lie, though a part of Andy felt like it almost made too much sense. She wasn’t sure what to believe, but she also was going to be honest with Klaus. She wasn’t happy with him, but it wouldn’t hurt anything if she was honest with him now, especially since she didn’t know who she could trust.

Klaus’s humor faded, and he looked at her with a serious expression, his eyes hardening. “Excuse me?” he asked as if he hadn’t heard her.

“I was going to wake Elijah and have him kick your ass. A backup plan was to take your family and run with them. I knew if you wouldn’t be willing to give up Elena for them, then Elijah would talk you into it. Unfortunately, while I was trying to wake Elijah, a blast from your past came back and kidnapped me,” Andy explained, not breaking eye contact with the hybrid. She expected him to lash out at her at any moment, but he sat there and listened, albeit with a furious expression. “It was Milena.”

Klaus’s expression turned into one of shock and surprise before he glared at her. “That’s _impossible_. You’re lying to save yourself.”

Andy laughed dryly and folded her arms across her chest. “I _wish_ I was lying. I don’t know what she was trying to accomplish, but it _was_ her, unless it was Anastasia,” The scathing look he sent her way caused her to hold her hands up in defense, deciding to drop it. “I saw her in Chicago the other day when I nearly stepped into traffic. She knocked me out and locked me in the back of the truck. And is it really impossible? Elijah could have given her his blood, and from the sound of it, you didn’t check her corpse to make sure she stayed dead.”

Andy was okay with telling Klaus some of the things that happened, but she didn’t know if Milena was lying to her or not about what happened in Mystic Falls. For all she knew, Klaus had killed everyone she knew. Moreover, she wouldn’t tell Klaus she might be a reincarnation of a woman he loved. That would cause drama she didn’t need even if he hadn’t been torturing her family and friends.

Klaus looked like her words had convinced him somewhat, but he wasn’t going to let her off that easily. “Then why would she leave you here in the middle of nowhere?”

“The hell if I know. She didn’t exactly tell me her big plan. The only time I was out of the truck was for food and to let me use the bathroom, other than when she let me clean off the blood of those people you had Stefan kill,” Andy said, crossing her arms over her chest as she avoided his gaze. “She knocked me out sometime a few hours ago. I only woke up minutes before you found me when I was about to take that dagger out of Elijah so he could Kool-Aid man his way out of here. Oh, _don’t_ look at me like that. I was slowly suffocating. I didn’t know you had a witch tracking us. He could have been my only way out of this mess.”

Klaus exhaled and began pacing, looking torn as he clearly thought about the situation. Andy looked over at the witch to see she was awkwardly watching the two of them but had backed away to give them some privacy. Andy turned back to watch Klaus for a moment, trying to tell if he had done anything rash to her family while she was with Milena. If Milena was telling the truth about Elena, then she should at least be safe, but that didn’t mean Jenna or Jeremy were okay. Then there were the other people who Klaus had been terrorizing. Did Tyler even survive the transition? And had anyone else been hurt since she had been gone in the last thirty-something hours?

“Is my family alive?” Andy asked finally, unable to hold it back anymore. Klaus stopped moving and looked at her in slight confusion. “Is Tyler okay? Or did you go on a murderous rampage the moment you realized your family was missing? Because you’re looking awfully calm right now and that scares me.”

“Everyone is safe. No one died,” Klaus said after a moment’s hesitation, his words sounding genuine. Andy exhaled in relief and put a hand over her chest as she did her best to quell all the emotions building in her. She was exhausted and just wanted to sleep without being knocked out for once. “You really thought I had killed them, didn’t you?”

“What else was I supposed to think, Klaus?” She demanded as she looked over at him, unable to help the water that was building in her eyes. “The last time I saw you, you were fully prepared to have Stefan kill my sister just so you could make your stupid hybrids. You didn’t even think twice about damning Tyler to a life he didn’t ask for. I thought you were going to kill everyone I love just because your family was taken from you. I thought I was going to come back to no one if I even ever was going to come back.” Andy turned away from him, not wanting to look at him. This day was too much and being around him wasn’t making it any better. Her emotions were piling up and she wanted to be alone.

“We should find somewhere to rest and find someone to check that wound on your head,” Klaus said after a moment of thought. “You’ve hit your head a lot in the last few days. How hard did she hit you?”

“Enough that I didn’t wake up until you got here,” Andy said as she stood, wobbling slightly on her feet. Klaus didn’t hesitate to move and offer her his support. Sighing, she decided it would make this process a lot easier and leaned into him, allowing him to get her into the truck. Olivia climbed in behind her, making it so she was squeezed in between the hybrid and witch. Klaus sped around and quickly climbed in. She kept her gaze down, though felt both Klaus and Olivia watching her.

“I’m glad you’re okay, Andrea,” Klaus using her full name caught her slightly off-guard, but she finally looked up at him. He looked back at her with a mix of emotions written on his face. She swallowed nervously and nodded, not certain if she could form words of her own. “Believe me when I say that Milena will suffer beyond comprehension.”

“Wait,” Andy’s hand shot out to grab his arm and attention as he went to start the truck. Pausing, he turned to look at her with raised eyebrows. “Don’t be angry at her. She was trying to stop me from making a mistake. You should be angry with me. Taking your family was my ultimately idea. She’s suffered enough, especially from everything you’ve done,” _Even if she did knock me out and make me go back to Klaus_ , Andy added to herself. While she didn’t particularly like Milena now, she also didn’t want Klaus chasing her down like he had done to Katherine. A part of her wished she hadn’t even told Klaus about her.

Klaus scoffed at her, though had a hint of amusement in his blue eyes. “You’re making demands after everything we’ve been through in the last few days?”

“I know we’re not each other’s favorites right now, but I like to think we have a rapport in spite of _everything_ that has happened. Like how we’re not tearing at one another’s throats even though I lied to you and you once again hurt the people I love?” Andy relaxed back into her seat and turned to look at him again. “I want to scream at you and hit you a few times, but I want to sleep more than anything, so for now you’re not on my immediate shit list. Can’t promise about tomorrow.”

Klaus couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle. “After the last couple of days, I couldn’t agree more. Our differences can wait for a hot bath or two, can’t they?”

“As long as you stay away from me for the duration of the bath, then that sounds ideal.”

**_~ * • ° • ° • * ~_ **


End file.
